


Bloodbound: the Spiritforge

by ArenLuxon



Series: Bloodbound [2]
Category: Highschool DxD (Anime)
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dom/sub Undertones, F/F, F/M, Harems, Mild Sexual Content, Multi, Slow Burn, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-05-19 06:58:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 62,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14868921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArenLuxon/pseuds/ArenLuxon
Summary: A strange shadow appears which targets Asia. Does the Harem King have enough power to save her again? Or is he too busy expanding his harem further?





	1. Prologue: Stray

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As mentioned in the summary, this is a sequel. I'll briefly summarise what you really need to know to follow the story (in case you haven't read Red Pawn or it's been a while):
> 
> -Issei has a power called 'Bloodbound' which allows him to copy other people's powers and knowledge by touching their blood. As of now, he has done this most notably with Freed, Cerberus and Asia.
> 
> -To use his powers, he has to Promote so his Pawn can channel the power for him. If he doesn't, it's more difficult to control large amount of powers. Currently his special Pawn has split in two with one Pawn permanently holding Freed's power and the other being free to Promote and channel a different power.
> 
> -His current harem consists of Asia and Ruruko.

 

“We have to make sure it doesn’t escape,” Issei said. “This won’t be easy.”

"If it was an easy Stray, they would have asked Sona," Rias said.

"Hey," Ruruko complained.

"What she means," Issei said. "Is that we have the advantage against Strays." He nodded to Xen-chan. Even from this distance, the aura of the massive Holy Sword leaning on her shoulder was obvious.

"Hmph," Ruruko said. "Just because you have some Holy Weapons doesn't mean you're better than us."

"Can we go in now?" Xen-chan asked impatiently.

"We're still discussing tactics," Rias said.

"I say we just go in and kill it," the swordswoman suggested. "There is no one around these factories anyway."

"Yeah," Ruruko said.

"You two are not going anywhere until we're done," Rias said. "I'm still your King."

"You're not my King," Ruruko pointed out.

"What did Sona say?" Rias asked calmly.

"That I could go with you guys."

"If…?"

Ruruko sighed. "If I followed your orders as if they were hers."

"Indeed." Rias turned back to Issei. "What if we just go in on both sides? There are only two entrances after all."

"It could just jump out of the window," Issei pointed it. "Once we go in the aura of Durandal will be difficult to hide. It will flee once it senses it. That's what any stray would do if it smells a Holy Sword."  
"Then we just let Xenovia wait outside," Rias suggested.

"Hey," she protested.

"That would give away our biggest advantage," Issei said.

"We still have Yuuto's Holy-Demonic sword," Rias argued. "That will be harder to detect since it's not pure Holy aura. And your lightblade only has an aura when you activate it."

"Hm. I suggest we split up and lure it to the backdoor."

"Why would it go there? You just said it could jump out of a window."

"Akeno can set up a barrier."

"But it might break through."

"That's the point," Issei said. "An unstable barrier with a weak spot near the back door."

"Hm, that could work."

"So basically you want me to conjure a barrier that's too strong for me to keep up?" Akeno asked.

"Indeed. It will get unstable if you do that. Then you just make sure most of the cracks appear around the back door. The Stray should detect those and decide to break through the weak spot. But the barrier prevents it from feeling auras beyond it. So Xen-chan can wait for it with Durandal and trap it between us."

"By the time it realises what happened, it will be too late," Rias added. "Sounds like a plan."

"So, four-four then?" Akeno asked.

"Yeah, I'll stay with you two," Rias said.

"Me too," Koneko said.

"That leaves us then." He looked at Ruruko, Asia and Kiba. That was a pretty good split. The biggest offense should wait outside to make sure it didn't escape. Beating it would be easy eight against one, the difficulty was making sure it didn't run away once it realised it couldn't win. And it wouldn't be easy to surround it inside. What if it sensed them and jumped through a window? Better to lure it to a specific spot and surround it there.

"Let's go then," Rias said. She took a black scrunchie out of her pocket and put up her hair in a single ponytail. Asia and Xenovia followed her example.

Xenovia still looked a bit strange with long hair and multiple green meshes.

"Senpai?" Ruruko asked. She turned her back to him.

"Oh, sure."

Issei took her long twintails and loosely braided them together. She handed him one of her scrunchies so he could tie it at the end.

"Thanks."

Issei noticed Koneko looked conflicted. She was the only girl with short hair after all.

Maybe he should reassure her?

"Everyone ready?" Rias asked.

"Huh? Yeah, sure."

"Let's go in then."

They took their positions. Issei waited until he saw the barrier go up.

"Let's get this over quickly," he said. "This thing is ruining my Saturday night."

He looked at the double steel doors. Locked of course.

"Can I do it?" Ruruko asked.

"Sure." He stepped aside.

She flashed him a smile.

Ruruko took her position and kicked the door. The steel shook violently, but did not break.

"Uhum." Issei cleared his throat.

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "I was just getting warmed up."

She kicked it again, harder this time.

The metal groaned and a large dent appeared. Ruruko kicked another time and now a hinge broke off. At the final kick, the other hinge snapped and the left door fell back.

"There we go."

She stepped inside.

The others followed.

It was dark inside. Really dark. All the windows were covered so even the moonlight couldn't get in. They only had a small strip of moonlight falling from the door.

"Hm, quiet in here," Ruruko said. She kept her voice down.

"What did the Agares Network say the Stray looked like?" Kiba asked.

"They didn't. Which is rather strange." Issei subtly passed Ruruko so he was furthest in.

"We should be on our guard then," Kiba said. He made a Holy-Demonic sword appear.

Issei took out one of his lightswords.

Red light burst out and formed a sword. The bright aura provided enough light to make them see their path with their devil eyes.

Looks like this had been an old storage hall which had been deserted long before. Stone pillars held up the high ceiling.

"Stay behind me," Issei warned the girls.

"I can handle myself," Ruruko protested.

"I don't doubt that. But you don't have a weapon."

"Of course I do." She held up her hands, clad in fingerless gloves.

"There are things you might not want to touch with your bare hands," Issei warned her. "What if it has acid slime?"

"Asia can heal me," Ruruko said.

"I… that…" Asia said. "Don't rely on me so much."

"Her training is nowhere near finished," Issei warned them. "Besides, I wasn't asking."

"I… yes, Senpai," she yielded.

They slowly advanced further.

Normally he wouldn't order her around like that, but this Stray concerned him. A normal Stray wasn't usually taken on with the full peerage. Two or three people were more than enough to deal with it. Yet the Agares Network had specifically asked them to take their full peerage, meaning they knew it would be needed. Yet they could not tell them how the Stray looked like. That was strange to say the least.

Things had been calm recently, and their fights had all gone really well, but they could not get complacent now.

A sound reached him. A strange shuffling sound. Something heavy was being dragged over the floor.

The corner it came from was dark. Even devil eyes needed some light to see. So either the moonlight and his weapon didn't reach that far, or something was stopping it.

 _Hm_. Issei moved closer. He raised his sword to cast light on it, but the darkness wouldn't yield.

Something shot out from the black shape.

Issei was just in time to lift his sword. Something soft and squishy hit him. The sheer force threw him backwards. His sword fell out his hand, flickered and then went out.

What the hell?

He scrambled to his feet.

There was green blood on his clothes. And on the spot were he had stood before was more green blood. There was also a knife on the floor.

He must have cut of the monster's hand, but the arm had still hit him.

"You little-"

Ruruko was running towards it.

"Ruruko, don't."

The monster shot out. The next moment, she stumbled backwards, clutching her shoulder. Blood dripped between her fingers.

Asia wanted to run to her, but something crashed down in front of her, something massive. A second shadow, identical to the first one.

Asia backed away.

Issei felt his blood go cold. Slowly, he looked up.

This wouldn't end well.

On the ceiling were three more shadows. As he looked, they let go and crashed on the ground with loud sounds.

They were being surrounded quickly.

The shadows were about twice as tall as him and seemed to be armed with knives and swords. Their shape was sort off human, but it was difficult to see because they were so dark.

"Asia, use your arrows," Issei said. He picked up his sword and activated it again.

Asia nodded. With a green flash, her Sacred Gear appeared.

A burst of green light surged forward. It took the form of an arrow and hit Ruruko.

Her wound closed partly. As Issei had said before, her training to heal at a distance was nowhere near completion.

Issei touched his ear with his free hand. "We're in trouble. Get in here."

"Ise."

He turned to Asia.

Something black had wrapped around her feet. It was coiling its way upward like a snake.

Tentacles?

Woah.

Issei raised his sword to block an attack.

It was indeed a tentacle. But this one was holding a sword.

"Aim for the tentacle itself," he called. "You can cut them off."

"Easier said than done," Ruruko said.

"Ise-senpai," Asia called again.

Her situation was getting more precarious. Both her legs were now wrapped in black tentacles. She kicked and screamed, but it was useless. The monster was too strong. And Issei could not help her since he was too busy fending of two other shadows. Kiba and Ruruko were busy too.

Where were the others?

Issei pulled out his light gun and fired with his left hand at the shadow that held Asia.

It growled, but his bullets didn't seem to have much effect. Certainly not as much as they should have against a devil.

A knife slipped past his defenses and cut open his shirt. A small trail of blood ran down.

"Ise." She was screaming now.

What the hell?

Asia was in a pretty bad situation. The tentacles had wrapped around her arms and legs which effectively immobilised her. And now their ends were touching in quite inappropriate places. Whatever this things was, it seemed to have run out of some fucked-up hentai. Not that Issei was watching those of course.

Yet, for some reason, it was only doing this to Asia. The knife-holding tentacles Ruruko was fending off were clearly trying to kill her.

Issei aimed his gun again, but he didn't fire.

It was too risky. Asia was a devil like him, if he missed even a tiny bit and hit her, she could die.

He had to get closer and use his sword.

The monsters seemed to be anticipating that however, because just as he tried running to her, one moved in front of him blocking his path.

Stupid thing.

"Promotion, Knight."

More power poured into his sword when his second Pawn piece was activated. The red light increased in brightness.

The monster recoiled.

Wait, what?

Issei moved a step closer and raised his sword in front of him. The monster moved back again.

Light? Was it afraid of light?

"Asia," he yelled. "Activate your Sacred Gear."

"I can't aim like this," she argued.

"You don't need to heal anything. Just trust me."

"Okay."

Bright green light lit up from her hands.

The monster growled and released her immediately.

She fell down on her butt, looking quite surprised.

"They are afraid of light," Issei said. "Kiba."

"Understood."

His Holy-Demonic sword dissolved away and in its stead, a new weapon appeared. A flaming sword. It cast a half-circle of light around him.

They all moved together in a circle with their back towards each other. The monsters surrounded them, but the lights from their weapons held them at bay.

They were all breathing hard.

"Everyone okay?" Issei asked.

"No," Asia said.

"Where are the others?" Ruruko asked.

"I don't think they heard me." He tried reaching them again, but there was dead silence on the other end. "Our communication must have been cut off."

"These things are not gonna flee," Kiba said.

Sounds reached them. Banging noises from outside.

"I think it took over the barrier and locked them out," Issei said.

"You mean we can't get out unless we beat them?" Ruruko said.

"Certainly looks that way. Otherwise Rias would have busted in already."

A silence fell. They all realised Issei was probably right. There was no way Rias wouldn't have come in yet unless she  _couldn't_  get in.

"Any ideas left?" Ruruko asked.

"Just one. But it's risky."

"I'll take it."

"We might all die," he warned her.

"As opposed to doing nothing?"

"Tell us your idea, Ise-kun," Kiba said calmly.

"I can hold them off for a while. You two need to destroy the pillars."

"That will make the building collapse," Ruruko said.

"That's the whole point."

"I see," Kiba said slowly. "If the ceiling collapses moonlight gets in."

"And that thing might not want to get caught up in the rubble so it could disable the barrier and flee."

"Weren't we supposed to kill it here?" Ruruko asked.

"At this point I'm happy if we make it out at all."

"It's risky," Ruruko said. "We could get caught up in the rubble."

"If you have another suggestion I'm glad to hear it."

"Not really."

"We'll go with that then," Kiba said.

"Alright. On my signal."

Issei took a card out of his pocket. He only had one, so he'd have to make it count. Although he had a second ace left as well.

"Now."

Issei threw the card. The pre-recorded spell activated and turned into a lightning bolt.

The monsters fled for the bright light. Issei ran through the clear path with the others.

Kiba found the nearest pillar and hacked into it with his flaming sword. Stone chipped away.

"Promotion,  _Rook_."

Ruruko punched the pillar with her bare fist. She cursed when she hit the stone.

Loud rumbling sounds echoed through the building.

"Ise," Asia warned him.

The shadows had recovered and were advancing towards them.

Issei took a deep breath. Only one ace left.

"Promotion,  _Queen_."

His eyes flashed red.

A burst of flames shot out of his hands.

The shadows made a hissing noise and jumped back to evade.

"Done," Kiba said.

A rumbling noise sounded. A part of the ceiling collapsed. Moonlight spilled in through the gaping hole. He could see the half-transparent barrier flickering outside.

The shadows closed in again from the other side, which was still dark.

Damn. One more time.

He sprayed flames in their direction. This time, one of them got caught up in them. It shrieked loudly.

Looks like fire could damage them.

The second pillar collapsed. Cracks ran down the ceiling.

They now stood in a large circle of moonlight and rubble.

"Just in time," he said.

Overusing his powers could get dangerous. And while his control had increased with his training, Cerberus' powers depleted his stamina very fast.

The shadows seemed to have reconsidered their attack. They ran towards the front door. When they reached it, the barrier flickered and went down.

He saw flashes of lighting outside. More green blood splashed on the ground.

The shadows spread huge bat wings and flew up. More lightning attacks raced after them, joined by dark red spheres. But soon, they were out of sight.

A loud noise reached him from behind.

The back door burst out of its hinges. Koneko-chan stepped inside, followed by Xen-chan.

Rias and Akeno came in through the front door.

"Ise-kun."

Asia embraced him.

"Shh, you're safe." He softly patted her head.

"They escaped," Rias announced. She loosened her hair again.

"Sorry," Issei said. "I didn't expect there to be five of them. Or for them to take over the barrier."

Now that he said it, unstable barriers were a lot easier to take over. He really should have considered that weakness.

"I'm just glad you're all okay," Rias said.

"Uhum," Ruruko cleared her throat. She held up her hand.

"Oh."

She was bleeding. Looks like Promotion hadn't been enough to protect her against solid rock.

Asia released Issei and walked up to Ruruko. She carefully took her hand. Warm green light shone.

"You really should get a weapon," she advised. "You've broken all your fingers."

Ruruko gritted her teeth. "Any regular weapon would have broken on those stones. Besides, you could use a weapon too. When that monster-"

Asia shot her a warning glare.

"You are okay, aren't you, Asia?" Rias asked.

"I'm physically unhurt," she said on a cold tone.

"Uhm, okay then?"

"We're all fine," Issei assured her. "But we were lucky."

He turned to the giant hole in the ceiling.

"You're hurt," Asia said.

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

"Come here." She put her hand on his chest. He felt her warm aura pouring in.

"What do you think?" Rias asked while Asia healed him.

"That wasn't a Stray."

"The Agares Network-"

"They were wrong. If it was a devil my lightsword should have done a lot more damage."

"Maybe it had some resistance to it?"

"Maybe. But there is something else that bothers me."

"Hm?"

"I didn't take its power."

"What?"

He turned to them. "This is unmistakingly blood." He touched the green fluid on his clothes. "Yet it doesn't burn like it should when I absorb it. And I don't feel any of its power."

"That's very strange indeed."

His power worked on humans, fallen angels and even on Cerberus, so why wouldn't it work on devils? This had to be something more for it to resist his powers like that.

"I also doubt whether a normal Stray would be so fast," Kiba said. "Or so strong. And there were five of them."

"Well we know one thing," Ruruko said. "They are afraid of light."

"I'll remember that next time," Issei said. "If we find them again."

Rias sighed. "You guys can go home. I'll clean up here and report to the Network."

"Are you sure we'll be safe?" Asia asked. "That thing might return."

"There are powerful barriers on our homes," Rias said. "And it's afraid of light so I don't think it will be attacking during the day. As long as you refrain from wandering around at night, you should be safe."

Akeno summoned a magic circle.

"Sorry Buchou," Koneko-chan said. "We'll do better next time."

"Yeah," Xen-chan added. "Next time I'll cut up that monster."

"Don't worry about it."

The circle activated. Akeno, Koneko-chan, Xen-chan and Kiba-kun vanished.

"Are you coming, Ise-senpai?" Ruruko asked. She stood next to Asia in the circle she had conjured.

"I'll be right there," he said. "You can go ahead without me."

"Don't keep us waiting."

"Never."

The circle flashed.

"You should go home too," Rias said.

"I'll help you clean this up."

"You really don't have to."

"I want to." He promoted to Bishop so he could clear the rubble. "Besides, it's my fault."

"No it's not," Rias said. She raised her hand and used magic to make the stones float back into place. They shone bright red and melted back into the pillar.

"It was my terrible plan." He joined her using Asia's magic.

"It's the responsibility of the King to be making plans," Rias said. "If anything, I should have been the one coming up with a decent attack plan."

"You can outsource that," Issei said. "It's okay to have a strategist to assist you. Not that I was much help. Without Akeno's card I probably wouldn't have made it out."

"Stop blaming yourself," Rias said. "There is no way you could know there would be five tentacle shadows over here that can somehow resist holy power."

Issei stopped casting. The stones fell down again.

"Ise-kun?"

"How… how do you know they had tentacles?" He frowned at her.

"What do you mean? I saw them."

"In passing. Their tentacles were only visible when they attacked."

"Don't be silly, Ise-kun," Rias said. "It was pretty obvious."

"Uhum, yeah, sure." He focused back on clearing the rubble.

Strange. The monsters hadn't attacked her so it would have been hard to see their form since they remained in the shadows.

"You do trust me, don't you?" Rias asked.

"Of course I do."

"More than Akeno?"

He frowned. "What does she have to do with this? I trust all of you equally, obviously."

"Never mind, forget I said that."

"Rias?"

The last stone floated in place and melted with the rest.

"I have to go report." Without looking at him, she summoned a circle.

"Okay then."

"Don't forget your training tomorrow."

"I hadn't."

"See you, Ise-kun."

Without looking at him, she teleported away.

Issei started casting his own circle.

Rias was acting really weird.

Could it be the thing with Akeno? Back at the pool they had caused a little scene and Rias had told him she was annoyed he was 'stealing away' her best friend. She had promised she would talk with Akeno about that, but somehow, he got the feeling she hadn't done that at all.

And he couldn't shake of the idea that she knew more about these monsters.

Oh well, he was probably just imagining things.

The circle flashed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -For this fic, some further development is planned with Asia, Ruruko, Rias, Akeno, Koneko and Xenovia. But it's a slow burn so it could be a while before I get there. (When I say 'development' that doesn't necessarily mean they will all get added to the harem.)
> 
> -The story will eventually tie back to canon events, but it's gonna be a long while before I get there. For now, expect a lot of original story first.
> 
> -If a chapter contains smut, I'll mention which parts do in an AN at the start. If an important plot point was mentioned during a smut scene, I'll summarise it in the AN at the end too, so you can skip over the more smutty parts if you want to.


	2. Chapter 1: Training

Issei's eyes shot opened.

Where did this sudden jolt of pain in his side come from?

Oh.

He looked at the gorgeous blonde girl lying next to him.

Usually, she slept quite peacefully, but not tonight. Asia was turning and twisting constantly, as if fighting an invisible enemy.

Couldn't she have woken him up in a more interesting way?

"No, don't," Asia mumbled, turning over again.

Hm. Must be a nightmare

Unfortunately, he was stuck here. Last night he had fallen asleep on his back (as usual) and somewhere during the night Ruruko had put her head on his chest. This happened quite often actually. They liked to hold him as they fell asleep, especially Ruruko-chan.

If he stirred now, he'd definitely wake her up. It was basically like having a cat fall asleep on your lap. Ruruko also held his arm, so he couldn't reach Asia.

"No," Asia mumbled again.

He could wake her up by saying something, but that would wake up Ruruko too.

Luckily, his dilemma was resolved at that point.

Asia rolled over and got wrapped up in the blanket, which woke her up.

She freed herself from the blanket, looking very confused.

"You okay?" Issei whispered.

"Yeah." She moved a stray hairlock out of the way. "Sorry I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it. Nightmare?"

"Yeah."

She shrugged closer against him. Since she only wore a thin nightgown, he could feel the warmth of her body.

"About what?" he asked.

"Last night."

"Oh, that shadow?"

"Uhu," she said. "I don't know what would have happened to me if you hadn't saved me."

"Better not to think about that," he said. He wanted to wrap his arm around her, but it was stuck beneath Ruruko's hand.

"But what if it returns?" Asia asked. She sounded pretty scared.

"I'll protect you."

"You couldn't protect me back then, could you?" she snapped.

Asia sat upright. There was an unusual anger on her face.

"Huh?" Ruruko lifted her head. Her eyes fluttered open. Issei didn't notice however.

"Well I'm trying my best," he said calmly. "What more do you want me to do?"

"Maybe not being such a-"

"Asia," Ruruko interrupted them. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." She looked away, still angry.

"Senpai is doing what he can," Ruruko said. "I understand you are scared, but-"

"I'm not scared!" She jumped up and ran out of the room.

Issei blinked a few times.

What just happened? Was he still dreaming?

"That was strange," Ruruko said.

"I don't get it," Issei said. "What does she want me to do? Of course I'll do whatever I can to protect her, but we have to be a bit realistic. I can promise I'll fight, I can't promise I'll  _win_."

Asia could have some small mood swings, but not like that.

"She's acting really weird," Ruruko said. "I mean, you did save her before things got really serious. How is this different from that time Freed tried to assault her? Apart from the tentacles of course."

"I don't know. Look I would be pretty scared too, but why is she getting angry at  _me_? I'm trying to help her."

[Wake up, Onii-chan. Wake up… I-if you don't wake up, I'll have to k-kiss you.]

"Damn." He gently pushed Ruruko off him. She made a cute complaining noise that almost convinced him to stay here.

But he had other things to do.

Issei had to crawl over his bed to reach the alarm. Having a large bed had his perks, but also a few downsides.

He pressed the button to turn it off. "I have to go to training. Can you talk to her? Girl to girl?"

"That depends." She hugged him from behind. He could feel her breasts pushing against him.

"On what?" he asked.

"Do I get a good morning kiss?"

"My breath is a bit-"

"See if I care, Senpai." She playfully bit his ear.

"Little deviant," he mumbled. Issei leaned backwards and kissed her.

She wasted no time progressing to tongue-kissing.

Normally they would do a lot more than just kissing in the morning, but Issei wasn't really in the mood now. He didn't even touch her breasts while they kissed.

Issei broke off the kiss.

Ruruko smacked her lips. "Yeah, you need to brush your teeth."

"Looks who's talking."

"Hey."

"Anyway." He got out of bed and picked up his training clothes. "Will you talk to her?"

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, love you."

"Me too."

Ruruko settled back down beneath the blanket, clearly intending to sleep a bit more.

He went out and closed the door behind him.

He first brushed his teeth and put on his training clothes. Then, he went downstairs. As he was putting on his shoes, Rias arrived.

"Good morning," she said.

"Hm."

"Something happened?"

"Nah. Some stuff with Asia-chan." He finished tying his laces.

"Oh, I see."

"Shall we?" he asked.

"Yeah."

They went out and started running.

It was a really hot day today. Issei was sweating after only a few hundred metres, as was Rias. Unfortunately, she wore her usual pink-white jersey which did not become transparent when it got wet.

"We can take a break if you want to," Rias said after a while. "This isn't really the weather to train much."

"Since when are you going easy on me?"

They reached the park.

"Oh well," she shrugged. "It's been calm lately."

"Calm? What about the fight yesterday?"

"That was an exception. We were surprised and only half of us were fighting. If all eight of us had been there, we would have killed those monsters."

"Yeah, probably. Still-"

"Don't worry about it. We'll kill it next time." She smiled encouragingly.

"Hm."

She was strangely unconcerned. But then again, she hadn't been attacked by tentacles herself, so she didn't really know just how close it had been for them.

Rias sat down on a bench. Issei joined her.

His training with Rias was now down to once a week on Sunday. But Issei also trained on his own in the training hall in the basement. Occasionally, Asia and Ruruko would join him, but not today obviously.

He remembered there was something he wanted to ask Rias.

"Do we have any plans for summer?" he started.

"Maybe," Rias said.

"We could go to the beach," he suggested.

"Trying to see me in a swimsuit are you?"

"Technically I already saw you wearing only half of a swimsuit. It was quite a marvelous sight."

She turned red. "That was…  _situational_."

"You're the one who took it off," he pointed out.

"Because you were busy with Akeno."

"Yeah. Speaking of which," he said, getting to the point. "How are things between the two of you?"

Rias avoided his eyes and played with her fingers. "Not bad."

"You have told her how you feel, right?"

"Don't tell your King what to do." She stood back up. "Come on, break is over."

"It's just a suggestion. I've been trying to keep some distance so I don't come between your friendship, but-"

"You don't have to. She misses you."

"She does?"

"You should go see her. Especially since…"

"Since what?"

Was Rias hiding something from him?

"Well. I'm not really supposed to say this."

"But you're gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"

"Alright then. It's her birthday next Saturday."

"Oh, well I didn't know that. So she's turning… seventeen?"

"Yeah," Rias confirmed.

"I should get her a present."

"There's only one thing she wants for her birthday. And you're the only one who can provide it."

He frowned. "What is it?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you. You should visit her and see if she tells you."

"Hm. Alright then."

Strange. What kind of crazy present did she want that only he could give it to her?

"Now, onto your training. You still owe me fifty push-ups."

"Fifty!?"

"Yes. You reminded me I'm going way too easy on you. We could be attacked at any moment."

"But-"

"Come on, get down."

"Well at least you could do more than just stand there and watch me die. Is the King gonna cower behind her Pawn when we're attacked?"

"Maybe we should make it sixty just in case," she said on a dangerous tone.

He quickly got down on the grass.

That was a strange mood shift.

Was something going on with Rias?

Maybe she wanted a birthday present as well?

"Say, Rias," he asked as he pushed himself up. "When is your birthday?"

"April."

"Oh, looks like I missed it then. You're turning eighteen next year, aren't you?"

"No need to remind me of that, Ise."

"Oh, right, sorry."

He had almost forgotten her father was planning to set a marriage date after she turned eighteen.

"When's your birthday?" she asked, trying to defuse the tension.

"Also April. But you don't need to get me a present."

"Hey, I already bought you another girlfriend."

Issei rolled his eyes.

It wasn't his fault he had somehow gotten himself two girlfriends. Well, technically it was but… what sane person would refuse them if they said they were okay with it?

It took a while before Rias was satisfied with his training. When he came back home, he was covered in sweat from tip to toe.

"Welcome home, Senpai." Ruruko greeted him. She wore one of her short summer dresses today.

"Hey, Ruruko-chan." Looks like she had managed to get out of bed.

"You look like you went swimming."

"Something like that. You didn't talk to Asia, did you?"

Her overly happy attitude gave her away.

The smile vanished. "I tried. But… well," Ruruko took out a note from her pocket. "She left a note saying she's away for a contract and she won't answer her phone."

"Hm." He studied the paper. It was indeed like she said.

"She'll be fine, Senpai. She just needs some time."

"Yeah, maybe." He put away the note.

"Don't worry so much. You need to relax."

"How?"

"Well, you could have breakfast. Or you could take a bath. Or you could take…" she blushed and didn't finish. Not that she had to.

"How about all three?"

"At the same time?" she moved closer. "Ye, Senpai, how would you do that?"

"Well now that you ask."

* * *

Issei leaned back in the bath. "I kinda like this. This was a good idea, Ruruko-chan."

"You're crazy," she said.

Ruruko tried to stay focused so she didn't screw up.

He had indeed managed to do all three at the same time. They had put their breakfast on a large tray which floated around in the bath.

Of course, it was too heavy to actually float, so Ruruko was using her magic to increase the buoyancy to keep it afloat. All the while, Issei did his best to distract her, but his attempts were unsuccessful. Seems like he wasn't the only one working hard.

"Your magic is getting strong," he noted. He took another bite of his sandwich.

"I've been practising a lot," she said. Ruruko moved a loose hair out of her eyes. She looked quite satisfied with herself.

Issei stopped his efforts to distract her.

"I'm concerned about Asia," he admitted.

"Ye, Senpai, I'm trying to distract you here."

"I know."

"Is this gorgeous body no longer enough to keep your attention?" She pushed out her chest as she said it.

"Modest are we?"

"Always."

"You know, I think Asia's chest is actually growing to be big-"

"Careful now, Senpai," she warned him.

"Looks like I hit a sensitive spot."

"You're good at that," she shot back.

He tried to find a good comeback, but it was difficult to focus. Her teasing was making the blood flow to the wrong side of his body.

"As you insist to keep talking about Asia-chan," Ruruko said. "Are you getting anywhere with her?"

"You mean…"

"I think you know exactly what I mean."

Issei sighed. "You know I haven't. I said I'd wait until she's ready, no matter how long it takes. There is no hurry."

"Yes, but…" Ruruko hesitated.

"But what?"

"Nothing."

He narrowed his eyes. "Has she talked to you about it?"

"No. But… her outburst this morning could be related to this. I think she feels conflicted about it. Doing… other things is all fine, but to actually lose her virginity, that would go against the church completely. The church is pretty clear on no sex before marriage."

"That's a weird logic. She's doing sexy stuff with me all the time, but actually losing her virginity would be crossing some kind of line? She's not even fertile for most of the year, so what's the big deal?"

"Really Senpai? You're asking logical questions about religion?"

Issei sighed inwardly. She was right about that. He didn't really understand how Christianity worked. He heard about it vaguely, and he understood there were rules involved with it, but he could not understand why anyone would need to follow them. Couldn't you just not be an asshole?

"Anyway," he said. "Her reasons are not relevant. Even if she doesn't want to do it before marriage, that's fine to me."

"You already planned your wedding?"

"I may have considered it," he evaded.

"Ye, you're actually gonna marry her just to get into her panties?"

"Well they can't all be as easy as you."

Flames shot out of her eyes.

The floating tray started to shake a bit.

"Careful now," he warned her. "You don't want to make a mess."

"Actually I do."

Issei quickly took the plate and put it down on the floor. Just in time, cause the next moment Ruru got on top of him.

"Hey."

"Let me show you how  _easy_  I am."

She claimed his lips with hers.

He tried to touch her, but she took his wrists and pinned his arms above his head against the wall.

Green light flashed.

He threw a glance upward. She had used magic to lock his hands in place.

Even though his magic had improved quite a lot, he wouldn't be able to break this seal without Promotion. He had permanent light powers with his second Pawn, but without a gun or sword to channel them, they were pretty weak. Certainly not strong enough to break a seal like this.

Ruru moved to kiss his neck, hard enough to leave a hickey.

"What's wrong, Senpai? I thought I was  _easy_?"

He didn't reply.

"Senpai? Are you okay?"

He searched for the right words to explain how he felt, but he didn't find anything.

She undid her spell. His hands were released.

"I'm sorry," Ruruko said. "I'm uhm… you know, I just thought I'd try dominating you for once, instead of the other way around. You seemed to like it at first."

"I do, but, it just…" he sighed. "Suddenly I felt how easy it would be."

"Easy?"  
"I've been training for months, I've taken powers from an exorcist and a three-headed dog that guards the gates of Hell. And yet, even with all that training, it's still laughably simple to beat me, isn't it? If I let my guard down, I get overpowered easily. Without Promotion, I'm useless." Asia was right. He couldn't protect anyone.

"That's not true, Sen… Ise."

He was left speechless for a moment. Ruruko had never ever called him 'Ise' before.

"You're working very hard," she added. "You were sweating all over when you returned here. We're not in some kind of shonen manga, Ise. The world does not revolve around us. Even if you work hard, you might not win every time."

"But what if that monster returns?"

"What can we do? We'll take the next chance. And the next. On and on until we win... or the chances are spent."

He frowned. "Are you quoting Star Wars?"

"Uhm, a bit."

He sighed. "I guess you have a point. We'll just have to make do with what we have as best as we can. With a power like mine, it's silly to expect a peaceful life. People will see me as a threat or an opportunity."

"But there are others who will protect you," Ruruko said. "I think you forgot you just lost to  _me_. If anything it should reassure you that I am capable of protecting you if need be."

"But I'm the one who should be protecting you."

"That's sexist, Senpai."

"Okay, you're right. Let me say it differently: I  _want_ to be the one protecting you."

That took her back. "And I want to be protected," she replied. "But you know we're not talking about the physical act you do in a real fight. We're talking about the feeling of being protected and taken care off. Fights have nothing to do with that, this is between you and me."

"Yeah. But then why are we switching? Shouldn't I be on top?"

"You don't like it when we switch?"

"I don't know. It makes me feel uncomfortable and scared to be honest."

"Oh. Well actually I was scared of doing something wrong. I really couldn't focus well."  
"Well now you know how difficult my position is."

"Oh, how I pity you," she teased him.

"Do you think it's because of the fights?" he asked, not taking the bait. "That I feel this need to dominate you?"

"How so?" she got serious as well.

"Well, usually when I don't feel in control it's because I'm losing in a fight. So maybe somehow, that fear of losing got translated into this?"

"I've been in plenty of those fights too, and yet I feel exactly the other way. It feels so good not to be responsible for once."

"Maybe Freed's power somehow changed me," he suggested. They knew there was a price to pay for taking powers after all.

"Ise. Stop being like this. You know the answer just like I do. Shall I take out that cardboard box of yours?"

He turned red. "That one is safely locked away."

"You've always had this desire to dominate women to some extent," Ruruko said. "There is nothing wrong with that. Just be happy you've found someone who enjoys being dominated."

"You can make that plural," he said, smiling.

"Oh right, I forgot you have  _two_  girlfriends."

"And counting."

"Modest are we?"

He grinned. "Well, what use is modesty? Especially since confidence is pretty much key into dominating your partner."

"True, you're learning fast."

"Always."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around so he was on top of her.

"We better take this to the bedroom," Ruruko said. "This water is in the way."

"Yeah, good idea."

He scooped her up in his arms.

"Senpai." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"We have to get dried off first."

"See if I care."

"Unbelievable." Ruruko pouted her lips.

Issei carried her to his bedroom. Her long hair dripped down water on the carpet, but he ignored it.

He put her down on his bed. The sheets were gonna get wet, but he could take care of that afterwards.

"You really have no patience," she said.

"You're the one who started this," he said.

"No I didn't. Now come here and finish it."

He leaned in and kissed her.

They made out for a moment, but they both wanted to get on with…

"Ise-senpai?"

Issei turned.

"Oh, Asia? You're back."

She stood in the doorway, dressed now, although more conservative than usual.

"I see you haven't missed me," she said, angry again.

"We were just…"

"Yeah I can see that."

"Hey," Ruruko argued. "I'm his girlfriend too."

"Hmph." Asia turned around.

"Asia."

The door slammed close behind her.

Ruruko sighed. "What's up with her?"

"She's mad I think."

"She's the one that ran away and didn't answer her phone. What were we supposed to do?" Ruruko complained.

"Go look for her?"

"Where? I have no clue where Asia would go."

"I have a hunch actually."

"Look, Senpai,  _she_  is the one that left. What reason does she have to be angry at you? You did nothing wrong."

"I should have saved her sooner from that thing," he said.

"You couldn't have. Senpai, there is nothing you could have done."

"I know, I know, but…" he hesitated. "Never mind."

She sighed. "You're no longer in the mood, are you?"

"Not really. Sorry."

"You better finish this another time."

"I will."

She gave him a short kiss on his lips.

Issei went back to the bathroom and dried himself off. Then, he put on training clothes again (fresh ones).

Ruruko frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Training hall." He zipped up his jersey.

"Oh. I see."

"Hey, don't worry about me." He gave her a kiss. "If you need me, I'll be downstairs."

"I always need you."

"Don't you have homework to catch up on?"

"Maybe," she grumbled.

"You better get started or Sona-senpai will be mad at you. As will I."

"Okay okay."

"I'll just-"

"No." She pulled him back and kissed him again, longer this time. "Now you can go."

He smiled inwardly.

He considered looking for Asia, but he could not detect her aura anywhere. Most likely, she had already teleported away. And if she wasn't here, she probably didn't want to talk to him. Besides, she would be too angry to listen to him anyway.

He took the elevator down.

In the training hall, he put up the safety barriers and got started on his usual training.

After about an hour, a warning sound came from the speakers. Someone was disabling the safety barrier.

The doors slid opened.

"Ruru… oh, Xenovia."

"I guess that's appropriate given my purpose for coming here," Xenovia said. She was dressed in a blue-white jersey that matches her hair.

"Sorry, Xen-chan. I keep forgetting."

"It's okay." She brushed a loose hairlock away.

"You're here to train too?"

"Uhu."

Right, he actually should have known that. They both had a schedule. Normally it didn't overlap, but he was off schedule today.

"I can leave," he suggested.

"No, no. In fact, it might not be that bad to have a training partner."

She put up her long blue hair in a ponytail.

"Alright."

"Actually," Xen-chan said. "I've always wanted to have a mock battle against you."

"We already had one," he pointed out.

"That doesn't count. I want a fair battle, just the two of us."

"Shouldn't you get warmed up first?"

"I ran here, I'm warm enough."

"Okay." He picked up two training swords and handed one to her. "Are you sure this is fair? I- woah." He quicky lifted his weapon to block.

"I can handle myself," Xen-chan said. She pushed hard with her wooden sword.

Damn, she was strong.

Issei pushed back.

Their faces were really close together now.

Suddenly, Xen-chan leaned in and kissed him, right on his lips.

What the hell?

Their kiss lasted about half a second.

The next moment, he was hit hard in his ribs. His sword was ripped out of his hand and suddenly both weapons were beneath his chin.

"Dead," Xenovia said calmly.

"I thought you wanted a fair fight?"

"This is fair, one on one. You think your enemies won't play dirty?"

She lowered her swords again and handed one back to him.

"I know honor is meaningless in a real fight," Issei said. "You don't have to tell me."

"Clearly I do. With males you don't have a problem, but if a girl bats her eyelashes, you get distracted." She attacked again.

"No I don't." Issei blocked and counterattacked, but she jumped back out of his reach.

"Was that your first kiss?" Issei asked as he swung his weapon. She was slowly driven back against the wall.

"That's not relevant. In a fight on life and death, there is no room for silly teenage things."

"I thought you wanted to be more of a teenage girl, Xen-chan?"

"That…" she hesitated.

Xen-chan stepped back, but she didn't realise she had already reached the wall. When she bumped against it, she lost her focus.

Issei took this opportunity to hit her wrist hard. Her weapon fell down on the floor with a clattering sound.

He put his free hand around her throat and pushed her against the wall, careful not to apply too much pressure.

"Dead," he said.

"You're cheating."

Issei released her again.  
"You're conflicted," he shot back. "Conflicted on whether you want to be a warrior or a normal teenage girl."

She picked up her sword to avoid his gaze.

"In a fight, you have to be the warrior again," he told her. "There is no room for a teenage girl."

"I know that."

"Then keep your girly worries outside of the fight."

"That would be easier if I wasn't fighting you." She attacked again, more violently this time.

"How so? Am I the reason you want to be a teenage girl?"

Looks like he had hit quite close to home since she hesitated again.

He swung his weapon at the opening.

However, her sword suddenly surged upwards and blocked. With her free arm, she elbowed him in his face.

Issei cursed and stumbled back.

He lowered his sword.

"Sorry," she said, matter of factly. "Are you okay?"

"My nose is bleeding," he said. Xenovia had feigned her hesitation in an attempt to lure him in. A successful attempt.

"I'll get Asia-chan."

"She's not here." Issei focused his powers. His hand glowed green. Normally he wouldn't be using his powers without Promotion, but Twilight Healing was the easiest to control. And it was just a bleeding nose.

Xen-chan frowned. "How so?"

"She's away on a mission," he avoided. His nose stopped bleeding, although it still hurt. The green glow faded from his hand.

"Oh, okay."

"I suggest we stop our training for now."

"Yeah."

They moved to the lounge next to the hall. The lounge had red couches, thick carpets and a bar.

He took out two sport drinks from the fridge and threw one at her. She caught it easily.

Issei sat down on the nearest couch. Xen-chan sat down opposite of him.

"That uhm…" he hesitated.

"Hm?"

"That kiss."

"What about it?" She blinked innocently.

Why did she act like it was no big deal?

"Nothing."

"You want to do it again?"

"Come again?"  
"Well, I must admit I am rather curious about it."

"Uhm…"

"As I said before, fighting for God isn't my purpose in life anymore."

"Yeah, you did say you were searching for new goals back then." Which is also why she had changed her hair.

"Romance is one of my areas of research. So, would you mind helping a girl out? For science?"

"That… you…"

Issei had never really considered how he felt about Xen-chan. At first, he had seen her as a church warrior. But now, with her hair grown to shoulder length and multiple green meshes between the blue color, she looked a lot more like a teenage girl. And she had a nice chest. Not as big as Rias or Akeno, but certainly bigger than Asia. The kind of breasts that nicely filled your hand.

And there was something about her blunt and pragmatic nature that he really liked. Xen-chan was the kind of girl who didn't make things overly complicated, unlike many other girls. She wouldn't keep him guessing when there was something wrong.

"Ise-senpai?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry."

"Is that a yes or a no?" She looked very confused that he couldn't give her a straight answer.

 _It's not that simple_ , he yelled inwardly. He couldn't just give an answer like that.

No, he had to. Xen-chan deserved a straight answer, even if he didn't really have one.

"Uhum." Issei cleared his throat. "Okay. If it's just for-"  
"Senpai?" a new voice said. "Ah, there you are."

"Oh, Ruruko-chan." He tried to look non-guilty.

"Could I speak with Senpai for a sec?" Ruruko asked.

Xen-chan sighed. "We'll have to finish this later it seems." She stood up. "I'll see you around, Ise-senpai."

"Yeah, see you, Xen-chan."

Ruruko sat down in the couch Xenovia had just left.

She waited until the door closed before speaking.

"Asia is back."

Issei jumped up. "Where is she?"

"Sit down, Senpai."

He hesitantly sat back down.

"I talked to her. It's not your fault, but she feels conflicted about a whole bunch of things."

"Oh. Like religion?"

"That's one of them indeed. But it's also being a devil in general. I don't think she really wants to be in a fight."

"Well she can't go back now," Issei said. "She'd be hunted as a stray."

Asia knew the consequences of becoming a devil when she made the decision.

"Even so, Rias-senpai could leave her out of fights."

"She's our healer, we can't-"

"Senpai. Think about how Asia feels. All her life she has been helping people. She has never tried to actively harm anyone. But that offhand remark I said about how she needed a weapon made her think. It's true. We won't always be there to save her. She needs to be able to fight for herself. She's blaming herself for not having a proper weapon with her. Asia could have held off that thing by herself if she actually trained some offensive techniques."

"Yeah, probably." She could have at least bought some more time.

"So give her some time to think by herself, okay?"  
"Yeah, okay."

"She's gonna sleep in one of the guest rooms tonight, so you don't have to worry about her safety."

"Okay." He really didn't have much to say.

Issei had never really considered Asia would be conflicted about hurting someone. He certainly wasn't. When your life was in danger, you did what had to be done. There was no room for anything else. But he could understand that would be more difficult for a kind girl like her. Not to mention a devout believer of a religion that technically told you to turn the other cheek.

But Asia was now realising Ruruko had a point. With a weapon of her own, she would be much safer.

"Are you coming back up?" Ruruko asked.

"Yeah."

They took the elevator back up.

"Oh, by the way," Issei said. "There is something I have to tell you."

"You do?"

"Xen-chan kissed me during our training."

"Oh." The elevator stopped. Ruruko got out without looking at him.

"She did it, I couldn't stop her." He followed her.

"It's okay," Ruruko said. "We agreed you could date any girl you liked. I'm glad you told me."

"Don't pretend like you aren't jealous please."

Ruruko bit her lip. "I don't mind the kiss that much. Besides, we gave you permission to do that."

"Ruruko?"

" _Ruruko_ ," she slowly repeated. "You call her Xen-chan."

"Yeah, she asked me to."

"Why don't you have a nickname for me, Senpai?" Ruruko asked.

"Like what? Ruru-chan?"  
She blushed heavily. "Well…"

"Hm, you like it?"

She played with her fingers. "I wouldn't mind if you called me that."

"How about Cutie?"

She blushed even harder. "That's a bit much maybe."

"I'll settle for Ruru-chan then."

"I like that." She took his hand.

"Hm. Didn't we have something that needs finishing, Ruru-chan?"

"Oh," she blushed. "Yeah, we do."

"Come here." He scooped her up in his arms.

Ruru-chan made a cute noise and settled in his arms.

 


	3. Chapter 2: Echo Gear

Issei yawned.

With his eyes still half-closed, he lifted his head a bit to check the alarm clock.

3 am.

Damn. He really wanted to get back to sleep. Especially since there was a naked girl in his arms.

Unfortunately, he had to pee, urgently.

They had fallen asleep in a spooning position, so he should be able to get out without waking her. If he could get his arm out that is.

When he pulled softly, Ruruko shifted a bit and mumbled something incoherent.

Very slowly, he kept pulling until his arm was out.

Issei breathed out.

That had worked.

“Senpai?” Ruruko mumbled.

“Shh.” He gave her a kiss on her cheek.

She smiled and continued sleeping.

Okay.

Issei crawled out of bed.

He put on his boxers and a shirt (they had fallen asleep naked) and went to the bathroom.

Asia was sleeping in one of the guest rooms.

He was worried about her, but…

Issei sighed.

Technically, they could adapt their tactics. Asia was training to fire healing arrows from a distance. If she could complete that training, they could make sure she was always a safe distance away from the fights. And if anything, it made sense to make sure your healer was safe. Rias would probably agree to that.

However, there was one glaring problem. In a difficult fight, it would mean that they all risked their lives on the front lines, except for Asia, who would be standing safely back. That could create tension in the group. 

Training her as a full healer would make her defenseless if anything went wrong. So others would have to constantly risk their lives protecting her. And while Issei didn’t mind to do that for her, it was unlikely the others would feel the same way. Training her as a hybrid fighter would lessen this tension, but what if Asia didn’t want that? 

Training her to fight on her own would lessen his own responsibility for her safety. And since it was clear he couldn’t always protect her on his own, it would be in his own favor to train her. She could not blame him for not being able to protect her if she could fight herself.

Asia had to decide on her own what she wanted. And he would influence her choice if he talked to her now. Asia would do anything he asked her to, even if it wasn’t really what she wanted.

After all, he was certain she didn’t really want him to have two girlfriends. Asia wanted to be his only girlfriend, she was just scared to tell him because she was afraid to lose him.

Issei sighed again.

He’d give her some more time on her own. And whatever she decided, he’d respect her decision.

He went back out. He wanted to go back to his room, but… 

What was that noise?

He listened closely.

Voices?

Yeah, there were voices downstairs.

Issei summoned a golden handle in one hand and a light gun in the other.

With a buzzing sound, the sword burst to life.

Had someone managed to get past their barriers?

Slowly, he went downstairs. The sound got more clear, but he still couldn’t tell what it was. Or rather,  _ who  _ it was, since it was clearly a voice.

Issei took the last steps without making a sound.

He put his hand on the doorknob.

In one smooth move, he opened it and pointed his gun on… 

Oh.

The sound turned out to be the tv playing. Without his superior devil hearing, he wouldn’t have noticed.

Asia was sleeping on the couch. Clearly, she had fallen asleep in front of the tv.

He moved closer to her.

She was sleeping peacefully. He wasn’t used to this sight. Asia usually put her hair up in a ponytail before sleeping, so it was rare to see her hair so disheveled. 

She was dressed in a long skirt and a formless grey pullover. Must be remnants from her old clothes. Issei knew she kept a few of them in the closet, all the way down, where she thought he wouldn’t find them. She had trouble fully releasing her past.

He deactivated his weapon. It made a buzzing sound, which woke Asia up.

“Huh?” She was startled. Her eyes went wide with fear.

“Calm down, it’s me.” He stores his weapons away.

“Oh, Ise-senpai.”

Issei turned off the tv.

“What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you were gonna sleep in one of the guest rooms?”

“I was, but… well, it’s…” she sighed. “I’m scared.”

“Oh.”

“You remember, don’t you? The first night when I came here?”

“Yeah.” She had come to him and asked if they could sleep together because she was scared. Initially, she had nightmares, but as they slept together, those had gone away. Until now that is.

“It feels all wrong to sleep alone. I keep reaching for you, but you aren’t there.”

That was to be expected. He had gotten used to the girls next to him as well. If he suddenly had to sleep alone, he would probably reach for a warmth that wasn’t there.

“You could just come back,” Issei suggested. “Or are you still angry at me?”

“For what?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, me neither.”

They both chuckled.

“I’m sorry,” Asia said. “I don’t know what happened to me this morning. I was just so angry. But you did nothing wrong of course.”

“It’s okay. You were just looking to vent your frustration.”

“It’s weird. I feel like…”

“Asia?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Issei stayed silent.

“What do you think I should do?” Asia asked. “Should I get a weapon and learn how to use it?”

“I think you should decide that on your own.”

“But I don’t want to decide that,” Asia said. “I’m fine if you make the choice for me.”

“Then let me ask you one thing. If I give you a weapon and train you to use it, and the moment comes, will you be able to use it?”

Her eyes widened. “I…”

“Think carefully before you answer, Asia. If you have your own weapon, we’ll all assume that you will use it. So if it turns out you can’t do it, it could end really bad. And it would be my fault since I made that decision.”

“I… I understand your point.”

“There is no room for hesitation in a fight on life and death. If you hold back even a little, it could be the difference between a win and a loss. And I can’t lose you, Asia.”

“I don’t know,” Asia said. “How was your first time?”

“I never had to kill anyone,” Issei pointed out.

“But that fight with Father Freed. You could have killed him back then. Didn’t you feel scared or guilty at any point?”

“No,” he said. “It sounds cruel, but I really didn’t. You know what he was gonna do with you if I had lost that fight.”

“But Freed was crazy. What if someone has a valid reason to hate us?”

“Well I’m sure Kokabiel thought his reasons were valid. We’re all stuck in our own perspective. If you’re in a fight on life and death, you’re beyond the point of changing someone’s mind about anything.”

“Maybe.”

Hm. So Asia basically believed people were inherently good? But if they were, why was there evil in the world? Or was ‘evil’ just a matter of perspective?

“It’s up to you,” Issei said. “You’re the only one who knows whether you can use a weapon.”

“But I don’t know.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

“Easy for you to say.”

She looked away, suddenly angry again.

“Why are you angry at me? I just explained I can’t make this decision for you.”

“Well that’s convenient.”

She still didn’t look at him.

This was very out of character for Asia.

“Asia-”

“I’ll just fix this on my own. Not like I can ever rely on you. You couldn’t save me back then, and you can’t save me now either.”

“Asia.”

She stormed off. He could hear her loud steps on the stairs.

Something strange was going on here. Sure, Asia had gotten more confident, but she had never talked to him like that. She had never even gotten angry at him.

Issei sighed. Maybe this was just part of a normal relationship? After all, wasn’t it pretty weird they had zero fights?

No, wait, that didn’t make any sense. Sure, maybe they would progress to having more arguments, but this wasn’t a progression. This was a very sudden shift. 

“Senpai? Oh, there you are.”

“Ruru-chan?” She had put on a bathrobe, but the cord was pretty lose.

“Asia kinda woke me,” she said. “Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Hey.” She sat down on the couch and hugged him.

“I don’t get her. She has never behaved like that.”

“She’s just confused, Senpai. It will be alright.”

“I don’t know.”

Where did all this suddenly come from?

“Come here, Senpai.”

“Huh?”

“Lap pillow.” She tapped her legs.

“Okay.” He shifted to his side and laid his head on her lap.

She caressed his hair.

“Better?”

“Yeah.”

“It will all be okay, Senpai.”

“Hm.” He felt himself drifting off to sleep.

It would all be fine.

Fine.

* * *

 

“Wake up, sleepyhead.”

“Hm?” Issei opened his eyes. “Mom?”

“You’ll be late for school.”

“Uh,” he complained. “This pillow is too soft.” He turned on his back.

Someone came into his view.

“Hey, Senpai.”

“Ruru-chan?” Oh, right, the lap pillow.

“We’ll be late for school if you don’t get up.”

“I don’t care,” he said.

“I could just stand up.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I…” she blushed. “That’s blackmail Senpai.”

He flashed a satisfied smile.

“Hai, hai, I’ll get up.” With supreme effort, he lifted his head.

They had breakfast and changed into their school uniforms. Asia was nowhere to be seen.

They rode their bikes to school.

He found his duo of friends and Kiryuu. The boys looked pretty tired.

“Troubles?” Matsuda asked.

“How so?” Issei asked.

“Your little blonde princess arrived alone this morning,” Matsuda said.

“She looked a bit down,” Kiryuu added.

“Understatement of the year,” Motohama finished.

Kiryuu elbowed him in his belly, which shut him up.

“We’re just having a bit of trouble,” Issei said. “No big deal.”

“Serves you right,” Matsuda said.

“How so?”

“Karma.”

“Jealous are we?”

The bell rang before Matsuda could reply.

They went to class.

He saw Asia there. She avoided all eye contact with him.

Talk about awkward.

He didn’t get the chance to talk to her until after school.

However, just as he wanted to approach her, a circle lit up near his ear.

Issei frowned when he heard the message. “Right now?”

[Yes, right now.]

“What’s wrong, Senpai?” Ruruko asked.

“I have to go. Azazel wants to see me.”

“Right now?”

“Yes, right now. I’m guessing he has something urgent to discuss.”

“You mean he urgently wants to play video games?” Ruru-chan asked.

“Probably.” Issei said. “But he may have something important to discuss.”

“I’ll see if I can talk to Asia then.”

“Thanks.” He gave her a kiss. Then, he went back inside the building and searched for an into an empty classroom to teleport away. After all, he didn’t anyone seeing him teleport.

He found one and summoned a circle.

The circle activated and transported him in Azazel’s living room.

A strange sensation assaulted him.

There were three auras in here. One was the familiar midnight black aura from Azazel. The second was Yuuma-chan’s weak aura. But it was the third one that bothered him. It’s color was bluish/white, but the strength was insane. It was even stronger than Azazel.

His eyes quickly found the person responsible for it. It was a youth a bit taller than him, with a mop of silver/white hair. Deep blue eyes studied him calmly.

The clothes made him look a bit like a delinquent, with a chain dangling on his hip and a jacket that would make a biker jealous. A jacket he strangely had not taken off even though he was inside and it was summer.

“Interesting,” the stranger said.

“Ise,” Azazel said. “This is an old friend of mine: Vali.”

“Nice to meet you.” Issei held out his hand.

Vali shook his hand. By touching him, Issei could confirm it. This youth was very strong.

He wondered what motive Azazel had for introducing the two of them.

“I’m here to ask you for a favor, Hyoudou-kun,” Vali said.

“I don’t think I owe you any favors,” Issei said, trying to sound polite.

“I may have some information that will interest you.”

“Such as?”

“Who killed the man in the park you found for example.”

He was stunned by that.

The dead man in the park was ages ago. It was the day he had discovered his Bloodbound-powers. That now seemed a whole lifetime away.

Issei had already given up on ever finding the answer to that. The only clue they had was a tattoo of a Welsh dragon which had turned out to be a dead end.

If Vali knew about the guy in the park, he may have some interesting information, so it would be worth it to hear him out.

“What do you need?”

“I want to see one of your powers. Specifically the Twice Critical you acquired first.”

“I can’t Promote here.”

He wondered if it would be safe to take this stranger to their private Game Field. While they had some protection, the main safety mechanism was that the coordinates needed for a transportation circle were kept secret. And to go alone with a stranger with such an aura. He did trust Azazel, but he wasn’t naive. The Fallen Angels were not allies of the devils. The only reason Azazel kept seeing him was because he hoped to learn some interesting things. 

“I see,” Vali said. “So you need to Promote to use it. Interesting.”

“I can create a barrier,” Azazel offered. “That should allow you to Promote.”

“You mean Vali is my enemy?”

“I mean that the System will probably acknowledge him as your enemy.”   
What was that supposed to mean?

But Vali had spiked his curiosity. He knew about the guy in the park, so that might finally lead to some answers.

Issei nodded.

Azazel raised his hands and made a simple half-transparent barrier appear.

Issei focused. “Promotion, Rook.”

The Twice Critical appeared on his left arm.

“Hm,” Vali frowned. “Interesting. It’s just as I thought.”

“Care to enlighten me?” Issei asked.

“It’s an Echo Gear. A copy of a Sacred Gear.”

“Echo Gear. Hm. Does that mean it’s less powerful than the original?”

“Technically yes, but that’s not important. Your Pawn is basically a pond holding aura,” Vali explained. “With plenty of training, you can increase the size of that pond. The only thing your unique power does is change the color of the aura inside. The original power you’re absorbing is not relevant.”

“I see. So that means I’m always limited by the amount of aura? Only the application changes?”

“Indeed. But there's also your control of the pond that’s important.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed that.”

“If you lose control, the aura can leak out and run rampant in your body.”

“I’m aware of that.”

That had happened before. Akeno had to suck out the excess aura from his body to keep him from going rampant. Even now, there was a tiny fringe of his hair that had turned white permanently. Ruru-chan had to cut it off regularly.

“Even so, you seem to have it perfectly under control now,” Vali said. “Which is strange.”

Issei knew the reason behind this. His Pawn had split causing him to have access to two ‘ponds’. One permanently held Freed’s aura, while he could control the other one. But he wasn’t gonna tell this Vali guy everything.

“Anyway,” Vali said. “If you help me, I’ll tell you who killed that guy in the park.”

“What else do you want from me?” Issei asked.

“Nothing overly complicated. I need to touch your Gear and do some complex spells to mark the Energy Signature.”

“Energy Signature?” He had heard about that before. “You’re planning to use this Gear to locate the original?”

“Impressive, Hyoudou-kun. You’re familiar with advanced magic it seems.”

“I had a good teacher.”

So the Sacred Gear of that guy in the park had moved on to someone else after he died? And Issei had gotten himself a copy of it. An ‘echo’ so to speak.

“May I?” Vali asked.

Issei hesitated. What if he used a different spell?

“I’ll write them all out first for you,” Vali said. “Don’t worry.”

“Hm, okay then.”

Issei held out his arm.

Vali started using magic. He made every phrase float before Issei’s eyes before he activated them. 

From his private lessons with Akeno, Issei was familiar enough with Deftodiz to have a basic understanding of what Vali was doing. And from what he could tell, Vali did exactly what he had said he’d do. He was trying to create a copy of the specific Energy Signature of the Gear.

“The guy you found in the park was the original wielder of a certain Sacred Gear,” Vali spoke as he continued working. “You gained a copy of his Gear, but the original moved on to its new host.”

“Which Gear?” Issei asked. “Twice Critical?”   
“I can’t tell you that.”

“Hm.”

That had actually been a test question. Given Vali’s interest it had to be a really strong and unique Sacred Gear. And there was only one unique Gear that took the form of a gauntlet and was associated with a dragon: the Boosted Gear. So Vali was going after a Longinus. Issei didn’t know  _ how  _ he knew about the Boosted Gear, but he was certain of it.

“So who did kill that guy in the park?”

“Me.”

He hadn’t expected such a blunt answer.

“Why?”

“I said I’d tell you who killed him,” Vali said. “I didn’t promise anything else.”

“Hm.”

Vali finished casting

“You’ve been a big help,” he said.

“No problem.”

Azazel dismissed the barrier.

“I have to go now,” Vali said. “But we’ll meet again, Hyoudou Issei.”

Vali cast a circle and vanished.

“Well, that was weird,” Issei said.

He wondered whether it had been the right decision to help Vali.

But then again, he didn’t really have a choice. Vali’s aura was incredibly strong. Stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Issei was certain of one thing: he did not want that guy as his enemy. 

And he looked pretty straightforward, so if he wanted Issei dead, he’d have done it already. 

Azazel shrugged. “Vali is a strange guy. But he always has some interesting information for you, if you have something to offer him in return.”

“What does he want with that Sacred Gear user?”

“He has his reasons,” Azazel avoided. “Anyway, onto more important things.”

He picked up a controller.

Oh, right. Issei had completely forgotten about that.

“I had to stand in line half of the night,” Azazel said. “But I got it.”

He held up a box that proudly proclaimed: ‘Bikini Warriors 4’.

Matsuda and Motohama had probably also gone to the midnight release. They might have even seen Azazel, completely unaware of his true identity.

The game started.

Issei picked the Paladin and Azazel the Mage, as usual.

“Looks like they have increased their graphics,” Azazel said.

“You mean the boobs are jiggling more?”

“Obviously.”

The door to the kitchen opened.

“Good evening, Ise-sama,” Yuuma-chan said. She was dressed in her usual maid uniform.

“Hey. How are you, Yuuma-chan?”

“I’m well, thank you.”   
“By the way,” Azazel said. “Everyone was talking about the two of you at the store.”

“Huh?”

“No one understood how a certain ‘Issei’ and ‘Yuuma’ had the highest score ever on Bikini Warriors 3. They were certain you were cheating.”

“We weren’t. We just found an interesting new tactic.” He dodged a fireball.

“Well there is no evidence of your accomplishment.”

“Next time I’ll record it,” Issei said. “And I’ll stream it online so everyone can see how good I am.”

“It was mostly Yuuma-chan the way I heard it.”

“Beginner’s luck.”

Yuuma returned with their tea.

Issei and Azazel kept playing for another hour. Then, Issei put his controller down.

“I think I’ll go now.”

“Girlfriends waiting for you?” Azazel asked.

“Something like that.”

“Until next time, Ise-sama,” Yuuma-chan said.

“See you.”

He went out. It was early evening now.

He called Ruru-chan.

[Senpai?]

“How are things going over there?”

[I’m trying my best. But she has some mood swings. Can you give me some more time?]

“Sure. There is something else I have to do anyway.”

[Okay. Good luck, Senpai.]

“Love you.”

He hung up and looked around. The street was deserted.

Issei summoned a teleportation circle. Due to his extensive training with Akeno, his magic skills were now decent enough to make transportation circles without promoting.

He stepped in the circle and fired it.

Issei arrived in front of a large apartment building.

In the front was a retina scan. When he scanned his eye, the doors opened for him.

The elevator took him to the top floor.

He had to admit, this apartment block was quite impressive.

It was owned entirely by the Gremory family. Rias and Akeno shared an apartment on the top floor with Koneko-chan and Kiba-kun below them and Xenovia below that. The rest of the floors were vacant for now, but could be used if her peerage expanded in the future or they had visitors coming over.

The Sitris had a similar building in this city. After all, it was quite rare for normal humans to reincarnate and in the long term, they could not stay with their parents due to the absurd difference in lifespans. While many devils returned to the Underworld, they did tend to maintain a base in the human world.

The doors opened and he got out. Issei knocked on their door.

He heard footsteps and then the door opened a little.

Purple eyes peered through the crack. When she noticed it was Issei, she relaxed and opened the door fully.

It was clear now why she was reluctant to open the door.

Akeno was dressed into a bathrobe, but he could see a nightgown beneath it. A nightgown that was quite transparent. Her hair was slightly wet.

“Bad timing?” he asked. Maybe he should have called first.

“Not at all. Come on in.”

She stepped aside so he could enter.

“I just took a shower, and I didn’t expect any more company,” she explained. Akeno closed the door after him.

Issei removed his shoes. “Is Rias not here?”

“No. She’s busy with something.”

“With what?”

“She didn’t tell me.” Her tone implied Akeno didn’t like that.

“Maybe it’s a surprise for you,” he suggested. He sat down on the couch.

She sat down next to him, much closer than was needed. “Oh, I see. Rias told you.”

“Yeah.”

He tried to stay focused on her face, which was difficult since the cord of her bathrobe was only loosely tied. And Akeno was fumbling with it which loosened it even more.

“She’s so bad at keeping secrets.”

“Oh well.” This wasn’t really a secret. “So uhm, what would a girl like you want for her birthday?”

She twisted a loose hair around. “Hm. There is one thing I want.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Look, whatever it is, if I can get it for you, you need only ask.”

“You promise?”

“Yeah.”

If it was something expensive, he could probably ask Rias to help. The Gremories were loaded.

She smiled. “Thanks, Ise-kun.”

“Of course, I can’t get it for you if you don’t tell me what it is.”

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not something that needs any preparing.”

“Hm.” He frowned. That was strange. Regardless of what it was, they would have to buy it somewhere, right? 

Unless she didn’t want a physical object. Maybe she wanted a vacation or a night out with everyone to karaoke or something.

“So, is this why you came all the way here?”

“Well I wanted to thank you too.”

She frowned. “For what?”

His eyes wandered to her cleavage again. Such a marvelous view.

“Uhum, your card kinda saved my skin when we fought that shadow.”

“Oh, the spell. Well I’m glad it was useful.”

“And uhm, there is something I want to ask you.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, you can go first.”

“Did you have dinner already?”

“Uhm, no.”

“Poor boy.” She leaned forward. “I’ll make you something then.”

“You really don’t have to.”

“Oh I insist.”

Akeno stood up and walked to the kitchen.

Issei followed her.

“So, what did you want to ask?”

“Well…”

While she made dinner, he talked about his meeting with Vali and the Energy Signature. Akeno listened calmly.

“Hm,” she said. “Unfortunately, Energy Signatures are very advanced magic. I can’t pull that off. This Vali-guy must be very strong.”

“Hm. And is there anyone else who can?”

“Yeah, I think some devils could pull it off. Unfortunately, it only works on powers that have a physical form.”

“So only Sacred Gears?”

“Yeah, more or less.”

He sighed. So they could not track Freed this way. But if they ever needed to track Asia, they could probably use that method.

“But that’s some interesting info,” she said. “Echo Gears. Would that mean that they are inferior copies?”

“I guess. I’ve noticed my Twilight Healing is slower and less strong than Asia’s, but that could just be because she has practised much more than me.”

“And from the other one it’s difficult to tell. We don’t know how the original user used it.”

“I don’t think it was a simple Twice Critical. If it was, why would Vali be so interested in tracking it?” He was almost certain it was the Boosted Gear.

“You’re right. It may have hid something more powerful. It may not be such a bad idea to look into tracking it ourselves. I’ll ask Rias about it.”

“Okay.”

It was silent for a moment.

Issei started setting the table.

Akeno finished her curry not long after.

They both sat down and clapped their hands together.

““Itadakimasu.””

He took a bite.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s good.”

Akeno was good at cooking. Almost as good as Asia and Ruru-chan.

They ate for a while.

“Do you remember when I still had to suck out your power?” Akeno suddenly asked.

“Uhm, yes.” Issei turned red. He remembered one time in particular that had gotten out of hand.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked me to do that again.” She played with her chopsticks.

“Well it’s not strictly needed anymore.”

“Even so, I thought you enjoyed it.”

“I did, but…”

“But what?” She studied him closely.

He could not tell her this. Rias was jealous that Akeno spend so much time with him, so he had decided to keep some distance from her. But he had promised Rias he wouldn’t tell Akeno that.

“Uhum, you should talk with Rias,” he said.

“Rias?” her tone shifted completely. “What does  _ she _ have to do with this?”

“Well uhm.”

“Did she tell you you couldn’t see me anymore? Is she being a jealous bitch again?”

“No, it’s not that.” He really should have kept his mouth shut.

“I can see whomever I want. She may be our King, but I will not let her treat us like that.”

“As I said, you have to talk with her.”

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. The mood was completely ruined now.

After dinner, issei stood up.

“Thanks a lot for the meal, but I really have to go now. Ruru-chan will get worried.”

“Hm.”

He put on his shoes again and went out.

Once he was safely outside, he teleported home.

Stupid. He really should have stayed silent.

Issei sighed.

It had gotten late. Everyone was probably already asleep. He’d ask Ruru-chan tomorrow if she had gotten anywhere with Asia.

Issei went to brush his teeth and then got into his room. With his devil eyes, he could easily see in the dim light.

He opened the door.

Wait, what?

Issei blinked a few times.

He wasn’t imagining this, right?

Asia and Ruruko were sitting cross-legged on his bed, both dressed in…

“Cosplay?”

“You like it?” Ruru-chan asked.

Yeah, it was the school uniform of his favorite anime. Complete with the thigh high socks, skirt, blazer and red ribbon.

Ruru-chan jabbed Asia in the stomach.

“Uhum,” Asia said. “I’m really sorry. I got angry again for no reason.”

“It’s okay, you’re under stress.”

So that was why it had taken Ruruko so long? She was convincing Asia to put on that outfit.

“No, it’s not okay,” Asia said. “Yes I had a reason, but it doesn’t justify anything.”

“What’s with the cosplay?” Issei asked.

“I wanted to make things up with you. So I thought maybe,” she looked away, blushing. “You’d like this.”

“I do. But, where did you get it so quickly.”

“Well actually,” Ruru-chan said. “I got them some time ago, but I didn’t get around to using them.”

“So you were waiting for the right time to use them?”

“Something like that.” Ruru-chan said.

“Come here, Senpai,” Asia said. “Let us take care of you.”

“Well, if you insist.” He got on the bed.


	4. Chapter 3: Pool Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be some sexual content in the second half of this chapter. You won't miss anything if you skip it, other than an interesting scene.

 

Issei woke up when someone kissed him.

"Ruru-chan?

"Morning Senpai," she said.

"My turn."

Ruru-chan moved aside and he was kissed by Asia now.

Asia held back more. She wasn't fully into it.

"So, how did you go yesterday?" Ruru-chan asked. "I didn't get the chance to ask."

He smiled inwardly. They had been too busy to talk much last night.

"You want a full report?"

"Obviously."

"Alright then."

He told them about Vali and Akeno.

"I wonder if we can trust him," Ruruko said when he was done. "Azazel I mean."

"Yeah, I don't think we can trust them," Asia added.  
"He'll have his own agenda, that much is certain."

"He's using you, Senpai," Ruru-chan said.

"We don't want the Governor-General of the Grigori as our enemy, Ruru-chan."

She sighed. "You're right. And from your description it sounds like this Vali-guy is pretty strong."

"I'm not an idiot. Yes, Azazel is probably planning something, but what do you want me to do, fight him?"

"You could at least report it to Rias-senpai," Asia said.

"I will. Once I'm at school."

"Okay."

"There is something else too. It's about Akeno."

He explained her cryptic wording on what she wanted for her birthday and how he had screwed up.

"Ye, Senpai," Ruru-chan said. "You still haven't figured out what she wants?"

"Uhm, no? Wait, you know?"

"She asked permission from us."

" _Permission_?" What could she possibly need permission for?

"Just know she has our approval, that's all that matters. Xen-chan as well by the way."

"Uhm, okay. But, do you think I was wrong to mention Rias?"

"Maybe. Look if Rias-senpai doesn't want you to see Akeno-senpai, she should tell Akeno-senpai about it. That makes sense, right?"

"Yeah, I don't get it either. They are friends, so they should be able to talk about that."

"Unless she's…" Ruru-chan pondered.

"She's what?" Issei asked.

"Nothing."

"We'll be late for school if we keep talking," Asia said.

"Yeah, you're right."

They got up and put on their uniforms.

Not much happened at school that day. Asia kept acting strange. She was being a little  _too_  formal with him. As if she was scared of saying something wrong. She also tried to avoid talking to him as much as possible.

When school was over, she told him she had a job to do and left.

Issei sighed. He really had no idea what was up with her. She hadn't even kissed him goodbye.

"Senpai."

He turned. "Ruru-chan. Good you're here, I was just gonna text you."

"I'm always with you Senpai." She gave him a kiss on his cheek.

"Do you have any idea what is up with Asia?"

"Not a clue. Maybe she's still thinking about weapons and religion?"

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, there is something I want to do."

"I'm listening."

He looked around, but their classroom was empty by now.

Issei explained his plan.

"Sounds good," she said.

He closed the door so they could teleport away.

It took them about an hour to finish it.

When they were done, he texted Xen-chan.

"I've got a mission tonight," Ruru-chan said. "But have fun, okay?"

"Okay."

Ruruko kissed him goodbye.

Her circle flashed and she was gone. He was all alone now.

Issei went to the clubroom, which was empty.

There was a note from Rias saying they were all away on a mission tonight.

Issei sat down on Rias' chair.

Hm. He leaned back. This was a pretty nice chair.

Anyway, there was something he had to do.

Issei searched for an empty piece of paper. He found one in a drawer. Then, he picked up her pen.

He started writing a report. Issei detailed everything about his meeting with Vali (obviously he left out his meeting with Akeno).

Someone knocked and entered.

"Ise-senpai?"

"Ah, Xen-chan. Give me a sec." He finished writing the final sentences and signed his name. Then, he folded the paper in half and wrote 'Rias' on it. She'd find it when she returned.

"It looks like you're the King now," Xen-chan said.

"Maybe, one day. But that's not why I texted you." He got up from the chair and sat down on the desk.

"Yeah, why did you text me?"

"I need to get stronger," he said simply.

"Oh. Well why didn't you ask Ruru-chan or Kiba-kun?"

"Everyone else is on a mission tonight."

"Oh, I see." She looked at the ground. "You'll have to do it with me then."

Xen-chan twisted one of her green meshes around.

"Well I needed a swordswoman anyway," Issei said.

With the skills he had taken from Freed, it made sense to focus on that.

"I understand. Shall we then?"

"Yeah."

He got off the desk and conjured a circle.

They stepped into it and flashed away.

Xen-chan blinked.

"Did it fail?"

"Nope. This is our Game Field. Take a look outside."

She walked to the window. "Oh, I see."

The color of the sky was wrong. Too much green in it. And somewhere in the distance, the area cut off. They were in a separate dimension. A Game Field, as would be used for Rating Games.

"You can get changed here," he said.

"Can you maybe explain why I need a bikini for training?"

"You'll see. Meet me at the pool in a bit."

"If you wanted to see me in a bikini, you could have just asked."

"Just get changed. There is something I have to do first."

"Okay."

Issei went away.

He took care of his business first and then got changed in his trunks.

When he arrived at the pool, Xen-chan wasn't there yet.

She arrived after a few minutes.

"Sorry, it took a while to put this on."

He swallowed hard.

She had put on a new bikini. An insanely skimpy string bikini that only covered the bare minimum. The dark blue matched her hair quite well.

"Do you approve?" Xen-chan asked, she didn't seem bothered by the amount of skin it showed. "Ruruko-chan helped me pick it out."

"Oh, she didn't tell me that."

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it? But you didn't answer my question, Ise-senpai." She made a turn so he could see everything. He had noticed it before, but of all the girls in the peerage, Xen-chan had the nicest buttocks.

"It's amazing."

She was really throwing him off-guard. Issei forced himself to stay focused.

"So, what is this?" She nodded towards the platform in the pool.

"Ah. This is for our training."

In the middle of the pool floated a small platform, attached with chains to the bottom.

"I think I get it," she said.

"It's quite simple. If you fall into the water, you lose."

He had actually gotten this idea from an anime.

"Sounds fun," Xen-chan said. "I do need to train how to fight in more narrow spaces."

"This is an excellent opportunity then."

Issei handed her a wooden kendo sword.

They both spread their wings to get on the platform.

It was a circle, about four steps across.

Both of them dismissed their wings. Xenovia put her hair up in a ponytail.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready when you are." She took a stance with her sword.

"Let's go then."

He attacked.

They exchanged several blows to test out the field.

The platform itself was pretty stable, so they didn't have to worry about losing balance. The only way to win was to drive your opponent to the edge, which wouldn't be easy. Xen-chan was strong.

"I thought about it," she said. "What you said."

"Oh?"

"You said there was no room for being a teenage girl during a fight. But you were wrong." She continued attacking.

"Was I now?"

"Tell me, does this outfit distract you?"

"Well, yes," he admitted. Her breast were bouncing with every strike. Those strings provided no support whatsoever.

"Does it make it difficult to focus? To attack me?"

"Yeah."

"I intend to use that. In a fight, this can be a powerful weapon."

"I'm not sure-"

"If you let me win this match, I'll take it off."

"What?"

While he was distracted, she rammed her shoulder against him. His sword slipped through his fingers and fell down.

Before Issei could recover, Xen-chan gave him a push which send him over the edge into the water.

Issei cursed.

He swam back up.

"15-love," Xen-chan said. She held out her hand.

Without breaking a sweat, she pulled him back on the platform.

"Hey, Xen-chan. You won didn't you?" He said hopefully.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You said-"

"I said if you  _let_  me win. You didn't lose on purpose, did you?"

"No," he grudgingly admitted. "You outsmarted me."

Issei picked up his sword again.

He had to admit, her tactics were pretty effective. However…

"What if you're up against a woman? A heterosexual woman I mean."  
"I don't intend to rely entirely on these tactics. But against a male like you, they can be pretty powerful. I intend to use everything at my disposal."

They started round two.

It was difficult to focus when you were fighting a hot girl in such a skimpy outfit. Issei eyes were constantly on her breasts, hoping for a wardrobe malfunction. That bikini should not stay in place during a fight.

Needless to say, he lost the second match as well.

"30-love."

"One more time," he said.

They started again.

After exchanging a few blows, they locked swords and pushed.

"You're losing badly, Ise-senpai," she said.

"Enough playing around."

His left arm glowed.

"What the hell?" Her eyes widened.

On his arm, a red gauntlet appeared with a green jewel.

[ _Boost_.] The jewel released a bright light.

He drove his left first forward.

She tried to block with her sword, but the wood splintered when the gauntlet hit it.

His fist hit her straight in her belly.

Xen-chan was sent flying backwards and crashed into the water.

He smiled. Finally. He dismissed his gauntlet again.

Issei wiped the sweat from his brow.

That was a difficult one.

"Xen-chan?"

She wasn't coming up again.

"Hey, Xen-chan?"

Panicking, he dropped his sword and jumped into the water.

He could see the problem now. She had gotten her foot caught up in one of the chains.

He swam further down to check.

Yeah, it was completely wrapped around her foot.

He tried to get her out, but in her panic, she was kicking and screaming. If she just calmed down, he could untie it, but understandably, she couldn't.

At this rate, she was gonna drown.

Issei moved closer to her. He grabbed her face with both hands and pressed his lips on hers.

She was surprised at first, but then she realised what he was doing.

Xenovia opened her lips so he could give her oxygen.

When he was out of breath, Issei swam back up. He took a deep breath and then went back down.

The swordswoman had calmed down completely. She was no longer kicking and screaming. She simple looked as Issei dove down all the way, trusting he would fix this.

At the bottom, he took the chain.

It was attached to a ring in the floor with a D-Ring. It was simple enough to open it up and release the chain.

With the chain loose, Xen-chan could swim up.

He swam after her and pulled himself on the platform.

They both laid down on their back, breathing hard.

"That was close," Xen-chan said.

"So, 30-15?"

She laughed. "Ah. It hurts when I laugh."

The swordswoman got up and unwrapped the chain from her leg.

"You're bleeding," Issei said. The chain had bit into her tender flesh.

"It's no big deal."

"I can heal you, but we'll have to go to the principal's office."

He got up.

"Okay." She got up as well. When she put weight on her foot, she winced.

"Come here."

"Hey, wait."

Issei scooped her up in his arms in the princess carry.

"I can walk," she insisted.

"You could, but I won't let you. Besides, you might want to focus on more important things."

He nodded to her chest.

"Oh."

She turned red for the first time.

During the whole thing, her bikini had finally shifted causing a little nip slip.

She quickly pulled it back in place.

Issei spread his wings and jumped up.

"You Promoted before the fight, didn't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, to a Rook. I wanted to test if I could keep it hidden from someone."

"Well you succeeded."

He had been using the increased attack power of the Rook the entire fight. But because his Twice Critical wasn't activated yet, it didn't consume his stamina as much. That was rather useful, since until now, he burned through his stamina way too fast.

He landed at the new school building and carried her inside.

When he reached the principal's office, he carefully put the girl down on the desk.

Issei Promoted to Bishop so he could use Twilight Healing.

She held out her leg. He carefully touched the cuts.

"Ow."

"Sorry."

Green light shone.

The wound closed itself. The blood didn't go away though.

Issei looked around. He spotted a sink with a towel hanging next to it.

He took the towel and carefully wiped the blood from her leg.

Xen-chan had really nice legs.

"Thanks," she said. She loosened her long hair. It was still wet from the pool.

"No problem." He kept holding her leg for some reason.

Ever since he had seen her in this skimpy bikini, it had been difficult to stay focused.

"Say, Ise-senpai," Xen-chan said. She pulled her leg back and leaned forward.

"Yes?" He tried to look at her eyes. They were gold. He knew of course, but he had never really studied them up close before.

"Do you remember what I asked you last time?"

"I do." He felt his cheeks burning. His eyes wandered back down again.

"You already kissed me underwater, but… that hardly counts."

"In a normal kiss you don't blow air in someone's mouth," he pointed out.

"I don't know that, Ise-senpai. I don't know anything about kissing or… other things."

"I could teach you," he offered. His mind was going on a tangent when she said 'other things'.

"You would do that for me?" Her gold eyes lit up.

"If it's to help out a hot girl like you."

"Thanks. Uhm, given you are far more experienced, I'll let you take the lead. Just tell me what to do, Ise-senpai."

It felt like he was taking advantage of the situation. But then again, Xen-chan had asked him about this. And Xen-chan was not a girl to make things complicated. If there was a problem, she'd tell him. If she didn't say anything, it meant there was no problem.

"Close your eyes," he said.

She did as he asked.

Xen-chan was still sitting on the edge of the desk, leaning back on her hands.

She really was a gorgeous girl.

Issei slowly leaned in and gave her a peck on her lips.

Unable to resist, he kissed her again, longer this time.

They made out very slowly for a while.

"How was that?" he asked eventually.

"I liked that," she said. Her eyes stayed closed.

"You can open your eyes again, Xen-chan."

"Okay. Don't feel hesitant to go further, Ise-sen-"

She was stopped by another kiss, harder this time.

He suddenly thought about Asia and Ruru-chan. Would they be mad at him?

Technically speaking, the terms of their relationship said he could do whatever he wanted with any girl he liked. As long as he was honest about it that is. Even so, it felt a bit like he was betraying their trust.

He stopped kissing Xen-chan.

"Sorry." He looked away.

She touched his cheek and turned his head back. "What's wrong, Ise-senpai?"

"Nothing," he lied.

Weren't Asia and Ruru-chan good enough for him? Did he really need to make out with another girl?

"Are you worried about your girlfriends?" she asked, clearly reading the situation.

"A bit," he admitted.

She sighed. "It took me so much work to get here."

"Work?"

"You're a bit dense, aren't you? I thought you were smart."

"I am… uhum. I mean…" Issei sighed. "I guess I can be a bit dense about feelings and all that."

"Do you think it's a coincidence everyone was away on a mission except for me?"

He frowned. Well now that she said it.

"This is not the only outfit, Ise-senpai," Xen-chan continued. "Ruruko-chan helped me choose clothes for every situation that could come up. I also had a cute bra and a training jersey with a zipper that would conveniently break down. I had a date outfit as well."

"You convinced everyone to go away? Why?"

"Because I wanted to kiss you, Senpai."

Wait, so that was what Ruru-chan meant with 'Xen-chan has permission'?

But…

"I'm not your Senpai," he said. "You're a few months older than me, your birthday is in February."

"You've been a devil for much longer, so you're my Senpai," she said simply.

"I don't…" he sighed. "Look, I already have two girlfriends. Making out with more and more girls will just lead to drama and… frankly, I think it's pretty selfish of me."

"Let's stop asking irrelevant questions," she said. "There is only one question that matters."

"Which is?"

"Do you want to kiss me or not?"

Her avoided her eyes. "It's not that simple, Xen-chan."

"It is. You just insist on making it complicated. Stop thinking so much, Senpai."  
"How about you start thinking a bit more?" He shot back.

"I did. How do you think I beat you?"

"Well that's…" She did have a point there. Xen-chan had clearly found a tactic that worked.

"I've thought long and hard and the answer is pretty simple: I want your babies."

"You want  _what_?" He looked at her again.

"Not  _now_ , but, you know. In the future, I want to carry your child. Raising a child will give my life a new purpose."

"But why me?"

"You have strong genes. Also uhm… I like you. You weren't the only one who gets thrown off-guard. I should have noticed you Promoted right away. But you distract me too much. You're the only one who ever lets me lower my guard. It's quite scary to be honest."

"I…" he didn't know what to say to that.

"So, will you put a baby in me, Ise-senpai?"

"Do I have to answer that right now?"

"For now I'll settle for a kiss too."

"How about a bit more than a kiss?"

"Whatever you want, Senpai. Just tell me what-"

The rest of her sentence was drowned in their kiss.

Issei slowly prodded her lips with his tongue.

The tips of their tongues touched.

Their kiss moved on to a French kiss.

Xen-chan was picking it up very fast. He remembered Ruru-chan and especially Asia being very insecure about tongue-kissing at first and having no idea what to do. Xen-chan on the other hand started playing around with his tongue very quickly.

They broke off the kiss to breathe.

"I want to see them," Issei said. He looked at her chest. He had only caught a little glimpse last time.

"Of course. Shall I take it off or do you want to do it?"

"You do it," he said. "Slowly."

"Okay." She sat upright so her hands were free.

Her bikini had two straps on either side crossing each other.

She slowly lowered one of them and pulled her arm out. Then, she did the same on the other side.

Xen-chan was really good at this.

She moved back to the left and lowered the last strap. Issei thought he would see them, but she used her hand to keep the fabric in place on her chest.

She repeated it on the other side.

The straps were all loose now. Only her hands held the bikini up.

Xen-chan reached back with one hand and undid the knot. She kept her other arm in front of her chest.

The top was completely loose now.

She carefully pulled it out with one hand. Her breasts stayed hidden behind her other arm.

Xen-chan handed him the top. "Here you go."

He accepted it. She switched to two hands without showing him anything. Her hands were now crossed over her breasts to hide them. Somehow, she had taken it all of without showing him anything yet.

"Was that good?" she asked. Her eyes glanced over to the obvious bulge in his pants.

"Yeah. That was really good." He had not expected her to be so good at teasing him. "Now lower your hands. Slowly."

She did as he said.

Now he could finally see her chest in full glory.

He was left speechless.

Up until now, he had seen Asia, Ruru-chan, Akeno and Rias. Asia and Ruru-chan were both quite small and Akeno and Rias were huge. Xen-chan on the other hand had a nice balance between those two extremes. A right mix of cute and sexy.

Her breasts seemed to be designed to fit in his hands perfectly. Something he intended to test out right now.

She did not stop him when he reached out and cupped her boob.

They were very soft.

"Uhum, this is how you fondle breasts," he said.

"Okay. Should I do that myself too?"

"You mean you've never masturbated before?"

"No. I don't know how."

Oh my. Another church girl.

"So," she repeated. "Should I do that myself?"

"Well…" an idea formed in his mind. "For now, I think you should only do it under my supervision. After all you don't know how to do it yet. I don't want you to do anything wrong."

"Okay, I understand."

He rolled her nipples between his fingers. They grew hard under his touch.

Her usual composed expression was gone now. She was biting her lip with a blush on her cheeks.

Issei leaned in to kiss her again.

He wasted no time progressing to a French kiss. Xen-chan confidently pushed her tongue into his mouth.

She was panting when they broke off the kiss.

"Take off your bottoms too," he said.

"Yes, Ise-senpai."

She got up and slowly removed her panties. Then, she stepped out of them and sat back on the desk, her legs closed.

He gently pushed them apart. She didn't resist, but her blush got deeper.

Issei touched her between her legs.

She inhaled sharply. "Wow."

"This is your clit," he said.

Xen-chan threw her head back when he rubbed it. She was panting by now.

"Pay attention, Xen-chan."

"Sorry." She looked back down. Being forced to watch him seemed to turn her on even more.

He pushed in his middle finger. She was pretty tight.

"Relax," he said. "You're tensing up too much."

"I'm a virgin," Xen-chan said. "Cut me some slack."

"You said you'd do anything I said."

"Yeah."

"And I said relax."

"I… I'll try." She took a deep breath in and out. He felt her body release some tension.

"Where were we?" he asked.

"You just explained my clit."

"Right. Okay. Let's see." He moved around with his finger until he found it. "This is your G-spot."

She bit her lip trying to control herself.

"Thanks for teaching me, Senpai."

He rubbed her harder.

Xen-chan was quite responsive to his touch.

"There's one more thing I want to show you," he said. He moved his thumb to her clit so he could rub them at the same time.

"I'm getting…" she panted.

He smiled. "Go ahead."

Shortly after, a tremble went through her body.

Xen-chan completely lost any composure she had left. She moaned loudly and threw her head back. He could see her eyes rolling back for a second.

Issei slowed down but didn't stop touching her.

It took her some time to collect herself again.

"So," she swallowed hard. "This is an orgasm?"

"Yeah. How did it feel?"

"I… wow."

Issei stopped touching her.

"Sorry, I got your fingers all dirty."

"Yeah, you did." He brought his hand to her mouth. "Clean them."

Without hesitation, she took his fingers in her mouth one by one and licked them clean.

"Good girl," he said.

"I should return the favor," Xen-chan said.

"Yeah, you should."

"Can I see it?" she asked, nodding to his pants.

"Sure."

Xen-chan reached out and took his waistband.

He helped her take it off.

She hesitated for a second.

"Xen-chan?"

"It's bigger than I expected," she said. She seemed a bit apprehensive now.

"Thanks."

Having sex now would probably be a bit too much for her. Until now, she had been as virgin as virgins went. He should ease her into it.

"Can I touch it?" she asked. Curiosity was winning over her initial fear.

"Sure."

She reached out and wrapped her hand around it. Her hands were bigger than Asia's so it felt slightly different from usual.

"Here, I'll show you." He helped her out.

"Like this?"  
"Yeah. Wow, you're a natural."

"Thanks." She stopped momentarily to lick her own fingers and then jerked him off again. With the lubrication, she could do it faster now.

Fuck, he wasn't gonna last long at this rate.

But he wanted to do more.

Issei's eyes were drawn to her chest.

"Actually," Issei said. "There is something I want to try."

"Hm?" She looked up at his face.

He leaned in and whispered it in her ear.

"Oh. Between my breasts you mean?"

"Yeah. If you're okay with that?"

"Of course."

Xen-chan got off the desk and gracefully got down on her knees.

She positioned herself until she was on the right height.

Then, she put it between her breasts and pushed them together.

He had tried this a few times with Ruru-chan and Asia-chan, but their breasts were too small to do it properly, so it always progressed to them using their mouth instead. Not that he minded that, but Issei had always dreamed of getting a proper paizuri.

Xen-chan opened her mouth and let some spit dribble down between her breasts. Her chest glistened from the saliva. It looked very erotic.

She slowly moved up and down with her breasts, testing the waters.

He could immediately tell she was big enough for this. It felt as if her breasts were made for this specific purpose.

"Wow."

"Does that feel good?" she asked.

"Yeah."

He moved his hips with her.

Xen-chan looked down and stuck out her tongue.

He pushed further so he went in her mouth with every thrust.

More saliva dribbled down giving him extra lubricant.

Issei sped up. She matched his rhythm perfectly.

Fuck this felt good.

He wasn't gonna last long like this. Especially since Xen-chan had been teasing him for a long while and it was the first time today.

"Cum whenever you want, Ise-senpai," she said. "I want my chest covered."

It was already covered in spit technically, but he wasn't gonna point that out right now.

Issei reached his limit. It spurted out all over her ample chest.

Xen-chan smiled. She slowed down until he was done cumming.

Then, she took him in her mouth and sucked hard.

"Fuck."

"Sorry." She stopped immediately.

"No, no. Just, I'm sensitive after cumming. Be careful."

She licked his shaft. "Better?"

"Yeah."

He came down from his peak again.

Her chest was completely covered in glistening spit and cum. Somehow, he felt a tiny bit proud about the mess.

Xen-chan kept licking him until he was completely soft again. She smiled at him, clearly enjoying herself.

Issei crouched down and picked up the towel again.

He wiped her chest.

"You might want to take a shower," he said.

"Tonight," she said. "For now, let me enjoy your smell."

"As you wish."

He finished cleaning her.

They both got up.

"Thanks for teaching me, Ise-senpai." She gave him a short peck on his lips.

"No problem."

They both got dressed again, in their regular clothes.

"I should go," Issei said. "Asia and Ruru-chan will be worried if I stay away too long." They couldn't call him in here after all.

"Will we train again in the future, Ise-senpai?"

"Which training?"

"Both. If you don't mind?"

He smiled. "Okay."

Issei summoned a magic circle.

He held out his hand.

"Let's go home."

Xen-chan took his hand.

The circle activated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -The anime referenced is Keijo, in case you didn't notice.
> 
> -Xen-chan's bikini is based on a mobage card, I'll put it up on my blog (arenluxon. wordpress. com)


	5. Chapter 4: Pray/Prey

Issei turned a page.

Stupid homework.

With everything that had happened, he had gotten behind a bit.

Luckily, he could rely on his Bloodbound powers. They did not just take powers, they also took knowledge. With that, he was much better in things like physics, biology and math. Which was a good thing because he had struggled with that a lot in the past.

Strangely, his powers did not take memories. It looked like there was still a lot they didn’t know about-

His phone vibrated.

Issei picked up.

“Hello?”

[Hey, Ise.]

“Motohama?”

[Who else would be calling you?]

“I don’t know, a hot girl or something.”

Motohama sighed. [I knew I shouldn’t have called.]

“Hey come on. Didn’t I get you hooked up with Kiryuu?”

[I did that myself actually,] he said, quite proud of himself.

“But I’m the one who invited both of you to karaoke.”

[Yeah yeah. But now Matsuda is mad at me.]

“Well he doesn’t want to stay a virgin alone I guess.”

[You mean you’re no longer a virgin? You’ve climbed the stairs to adulthood?]

“Maybe,” Issei evaded. “What about you and Kiryuu? She’s the most perverted girl in our class, so…”

[The ones who bark the loudest are the most insecure, as you should know very well.]

“So, nothing at all?”

[I didn’t say that. There are some interesting images saved in my gentleman’s folder. But yeah, nothing beyond that.] He sighed again.

“Is that why you’re calling?”

[Something like that,] Motohama admitted. [When are you supposed to… you know, make the move?]

“You’re asking  _ me _ ?”

[Who else am I supposed to ask?]

“Maybe Kiryuu? It really depends on the girl. You think I went as fast with Asia as with Ruru-chan?”

[Ruru-chan?]

“Uhum. You get the point. It varies from girl to girl. If you think you’re ready, and she’s ready as well, there is no reason to wait.”

[But I don’t know if I’m ready. It…]

“It sounds good in theory but in practice it’s a little scary?”

[Something like that. I don’t want to do anything wrong.]

“I’m sure she feels the same way. You just have to figure it out together.”

The first time is always a bit scary.

[Alright. Thanks.]

“I just stated the obvious.”

[No, really, you’ve been a big help. Actually, I have something for you.]

“You do?”

[Maybe you don’t need it anymore with your girlfriends, but-]

“No, no, I do.” He sensed where this was going.

[I’ll send you the link.]

“Thanks.”

[See you at school.]

“Yeah, bye.”

Issei hung up.

Motohama send him a link not long after.

It had been a very long time since he had last watched something. Sure, he saw plenty in real life, but still.

Issei couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was longing for the old days? Everything had changed, so maybe he wanted to feel like some things would stay the same?

Issei turned on the tv and navigated to the link. The video started.

He leaned back on the couch.

A few minutes in, the door opened.

“Ise-senpai? Dinner is gonna be-”

He turned. “A-Asia-chan. Uhm,” he quickly picked up the remote. “I was just-”

“Keep it on,” she said.

Issei pressed pause.

Asia sat down next to him.

He noticed she was in her usual naked apron she used for making dinner.

“Am I not good enough?” she asked.

“What? No, it’s-”

“No, I understand. You’re frustrated because we’re not moving forward.”

She clearly didn’t understand. “I was just watching this out of… nostalgia. It has nothing to do with you.”

“Well then I want to watch with you,” she said.

“Why?”

“It’s our responsibility to take care of your needs. I don’t want you to do it yourself.”

“ _ Responsibility _ is a bit…”

“I want to take care of you.”

“Okay then.” Hesitantly, he pressed play again.

Asia snuggled up close to him.

Soon, his hand was going beneath her apron to touch her chest.

Asia’s hand opened his zipper and went beneath his waistband.

They had never done this before. Issei thought it would have been more awkward, but-

“What is that?” Asia asked.   
“Huh?”

He looked at the screen.

Oh fuck.

Apparently, the hentai Motohama had sent him featured tentacles. A disturbing amount of tentacles, which, for some reason, had been absent during the first part.

“L-Look, Motohama-”

“Are you insane!?” Asia yelled. She jumped up.

“No, I… I didn’t-” Issei stood up as well.

She ran to the door.

“Wait, Asia.”

The door slammed behind her.

Issei cursed. He had to resist the urge to throw the remote through the tv.

The door opened again and Ruruko entered.

“Senpai? What’s wrong? I heard Asia…” her eye fell on the tv. “What are you doing?”

He fell back down on the couch. “Watching porn.” His voice was hard and emotionless.

“Oh. Uhm, mind if I join you?”

“Go ahead.” He didn’t care anymore at this point.

She hesitantly sat down next to him.

Issei was hardly even watching the large screen.

“Senpai,” she said. “That is…”

“I’m not doing it on purpose,” he said, his voice softer now. “Motohama gave me this one, I didn’t know what it was about.” He took the remote.

She took his hand. “It’s okay.”

“But…”

“Asia isn’t here,” Ruruko said. “And I don’t have a problem with hentai.”

“Hm.” He lowered the remote again.

“What I don’t understand,” Ruruko said, in a barely veiled attempt to distract him. “Is why they always enjoy it in the end.”

The girl on screen was screaming in ecstasy now as she was violated by various tentacles.

“It’s widely believed the tentacles secrete a fluid which makes them horny,” Issei said on a flat tone.

“Oh, I see. Well clearly in real life…” her voice trailed off. Ruruko’s green eyes widened.

“Ruru-chan?”

“Senpai? Do you think Asia may be poisoned?”

“You mean… those tentacles secreted some kind of fluid?”

“Which influences her behaviour somehow.”

“I don’t really think that is-”

“Think about it, Senpai,” Ruruko said. “Isn’t it a great tactic? It drives her away from those around her making her an easy target.”

“Maybe. But…”

Well that would explain her strange behaviour. It had started when they were attacked by those tentacles. And the monster had shown a strange interest in Asia-chan.

“It’s getting dark out,” Ruru-chan said. “We shouldn’t take the risk.”

“Get changed,” he said. “I have to make a call.”

“Okay.” Ruruko opened the walk-in closet and took out semi-random clothes. She quickly got changed as Issei called someone.

He put down the phone when she was done.

Even when she changed very quickly, her clothes did not clash. The black shoulder straps of her bra matched the black tank top which also matched her tight fitting jeans.

“Do you know where she is?” Ruruko asked. “She’s not here. I don’t sense her aura.”

“What is missing in that closet?” There was no way Asia had gone out in her naked apron.

“Is something… oh wait a second.”

Ruruko checked the bottom shelves.

“Her sister clothes,” she said.

“Come on, let’s go.”

* * *

 

Asia entered the building and closed the double doors behind her. She hesitated for a second, but then she activated the barrier. It was still in place from back when the fallen angels had used it as a base. Since she had helped put it up, she knew how to turn it on.

Asia walked between the rows of chairs and knelt down in front of the altar.

“Uhm, God? It’s been a while, and I know I’m a devil now, but…”

Asia sighed. What was she even doing here?

“I really don’t want to hurt anyone. But I don’t know if that’s possible. And-”

A sudden spike of pain went through her head.

Ah, of course. Devils took damage when they prayed.

Even so.

“I’m just so…”

Her headache kept spiking up, but she powered through. She could take a little pain. Her faith was much stronger than-

What was that sound?

She looked over her shoulder.

It was a strange noise. The sound of something heavy that was being dragged over the floor. A cold feeling crept up her spine when she realised where she had heard it before.

From near the door, a large shadow emerged. It must have been inside already, waiting for her.

Asia got up and stumbled back against the altar.

She had nowhere to run. By the time she could disable the barrier again, the shadow would have gotten her already.

It came closer. There was only one this time. Pretty confident apparently.

She touched her hip bag with her hand.

Just a bit closer.

She had to get the timing right. A mistake could be fatal.

The monster reached out with his tentacles. She could sense his enjoyment. This thing was feeding on her fear.

Yet, he was wrong. She was not afraid of the monster. She was afraid to get the timing wrong.

Asia reached inside her bag and pulled out a black object.

The shadow hesitated.

She flicked the switch.

A beam of light came out and shone directly on the monster.

It screamed loudly and stumbled backwards. Asia quickly took out a second object.

She aimed the light gun with her right hand and fired.

The shadow stumbled further backwards. The light bullets were damaging it. She saw the blackness burning away where they hit. Below it, there were glimpses of…

Skin?

There was a person inside this thing.

She kept firing while shining the flashlight with her left hand. The monster tried to avoid her light beam, but it was laughably simple to keep it inside. There was only one after all. And as long as she shone the light beam on it and fired, it seemed to be in too much pain to counter.

The black retreated further. She could see two arms now. The black in the middle was different. Less dark.

Oh wait. A shirt. Yes, the man was wearing a black shirt. It was a man, that much was certain now.

Asia tried to ignore the fact that her stamina was rapidly depleting by firing the gun.

She timed her shots more carefully.

The monster threw a chair at her with one of his tentacles.

Asia sidestepped. The chair crashed against the altar.

She had to be careful. If she didn’t fire rapidly enough, it could recover.

But she could do this. Just a bit more. 

If only she could see who was inside.

Asia aimed for where the head should be. But she hesitated. So far, she had avoided it. If this was a devil, a shot in the head could kill him. Even if it was a normal human, that could also be fatal.

Yet, what choice did she have? At this rate, she would run out of stamina and…

_ Come on. Just do it. There is no more time… _

The doors burst open.

“Asia?” Issei called.

No. No, no, no. Not now.

This time, she was not in time to dodge. The chair hit her in her stomach.

She felt a jolt of pain and was thrown on her back. Her head hit the floor hard. Stars danced in front of her view.

Her gun and flashlight had fallen out of her hand.

More sounds reached her, and then strong hands helped her up.

“Ise?”

“Hey gorgeous,” he said.

He looked very tired, but he still smiled.

“I had it,” she said. “If you hadn’t opened the door-”

“Calm down,” he said. “I think you’ve been poisoned.”

“Of course I’ve been-”

“Here.” She felt something clasp around her wrist.

“Hey-” wait a sec.

“Better?” a new voice asked. She noticed it was Azazel.

“Yeah. Much better.” She suddenly felt a lot calmer. Her anger was all gone.

Asia looked at her wrist. There was a silver bracelet with a jewel set in the middle. It softly pulsed with a purple light.

“I’m not sure how much it will help,” Azazel said. “It’s designed for Sacred Gear control.”

“Because Sacred Gears respond to emotions?” Asia asked.

“Indeed.”

“Asia.” She was suddenly hugged. She got a mouthful of brown hair.

“Ruruko-chan?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I am now.” It was much better now. She could control her emotions again.

Asia tried standing up, but her ribs protested loudly and she had to sit down again.

She softly prodded them.

“I think I broke a rib.”

She summoned her…

Twilight Healing?

“Not gonna work while you’re wearing that,” Azazel said. “Sorry.”

“And you better keep it on for now,” Issei added. “Until we figured out what happened to you.”

“Can you heal it then?” Asia asked.

“We better get home first. Broken ribs are pretty difficult.”

“Okay.”

Issei helped her up. She leaned heavily on him.

“You were planning to kill it alone?” Ruruko asked.

“Not really,” Asia said. “I kept that flashlight with me just in case. I went here on foot, and on the way, I started to realise this wasn’t normal. I should be able to control my anger much better.”

“So you came to the same conclusion as us? You’ve been poisoned somehow?”

“Once I got here, I figured I could take it, but you arrived before I could finish it.” She did not mention she wasn’t sure whether she’d have pulled the trigger.

“That was very irresponsible,” Ruruko said.

“I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’m really sorry. I really thought I could take him on and-”

“Him?” Issei said.

“It’s human.”

“ _ What!? _ ”

“There’s a human body beneath those shadows,” she said. “I saw it.”

“Must be a Sacred Gear then,” Azazel said. He rubbed his chin. “Interesting. I’ve never heard of a Sacred Gear doing anything like this.”

Ruruko picked up the flashlight and the gun. She handed the weapon back to Issei.

“I’m really sorry for stealing it,” Asia said.

“It was already stolen,” he pointed out. “Now let’s go home.”

They summoned a circle and flashed away.

Issei carried her to his room and put her down on his bed.

“I’ll let you work,” Ruru-chan said. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

Ruru-chan left them alone.

“This won’t be easy,” he said.

He had never done broken bones before. Internal things were difficult because you could not see the wound. And if you set a bone wrong, it could end pretty badly.

“I’ll take this off,” Asia said. “That will be easier.”

Asia winced when she sat upright.

Issei helped her get out of her sister clothes.

He thought she would stop at her underwear, but she took her bra off as well.

“It’s in the way,” Asia explained.

“Okay.”

She lied down on the bed.

“Can you Promote in here?” she asked.

“Ah, right.”

That wouldn’t work here. He either had to be in a Game Field or he needed an enemy present. Or someone who could be counted as an enemy by the system.

“They can probably heal the normal way too,” Asia suggested.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” A devil healed faster than a normal human, but it would still hurt for at least a week in the best case scenario.

“Maybe I deserve this,” Asia said.

“It wasn’t your fault. You were poisoned.”

“Even so, I knew what I was doing. It may have been more difficult to control my emotions, but that doesn’t excuse what I did. I was still there.”

“That’s a pretty Christian thing, isn’t it? Sin. Punishment.”

“I am Christian. It’s silly to pretend I’m not. Believe me, I’ve tried.”

“I know. It must be really hard on you. And that poison or whatever it is is not making it easier.”

“But it’s only amplifying problems that were already there to begin with. It’s still my fault for not dealing with them.”

“You don’t have to do everything yourself,” he told her. “You can rely on me.”

“Not for this. I have to figure this out alone.”

“Well I’m here for you anyway. And I’m gonna heal you.”

“How?”

“Give me a sec.”

Issei left her. Not long after he returned.

“Give me your hand.”

Asia reached out with her right hand. He carefully wrapped her hand in a bandage.

“I didn’t hurt my hand,” she said.

“Trust me.”

He finished wrapping it up. Then, he took out a wooden box.

“That is…”

“Be very careful with it,” Issei said. “You’re a devil now.”

“I understand.”

He opened the box.

Asia carefully took out her silver cross. She was careful not to touch it with her bare skin.

Through the bandages, she could feel the strong aura. If she touched it directly, she would take a lot of damage.

Issei activated the barriers in his room.

“Let’s see if this works.”

He closed his eyes.

“Promotion, _ Bishop _ .”

A ring appeared on either hand with a green flash.

“There we go,” he said.

They had tricked the system. Since Asia was holding a cross, the system assumed she was his enemy..

Issei carefully touched her ribs.

“Where does it hurt?” he asked.

“Higher.”

He shifted his hand higher. “Here?”

“A bit further, yeah, there.”

It was the rib right next to her breast, but Issei kept his eyes where they should be.

He focused his aura. “Yeah, I think it’s broken. But it’s hard to tell.”

“I trust you.”

“I don’t have much experience,” he warned her.

“Well I can’t do it,” she said. Asia lifted her other hand with the bracelet on it. “So either you have to do it, or we’ll let it heal on its own.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Green light shone.

It took him ten nerve wrecking minutes to fix it.

“I think that’s it,” he said. “Does it still hurt?”

“Just a bit. I think it’s okay now.”

“You need to rest.”

“Will you stay with me?”

“Sure.”

He stripped down to his boxers and got in the bed next to her.

She turned on her side so he could put his arm around her.

“Good night, Ise-senpai.”

“Good night, Asia-chan."

 


	6. Chapter 5: Confession

Issei let out a yawn.

Was it morning already?

He lifted his head a bit to check the time. Still pretty early. He could sleep a bit longer.

Asia-chan had fallen asleep in his arms last night. Right now, she was still sleeping peacefully. She was so cute when she was asleep.

“Are you awake, Senpai?” Ruru-chan whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” She embraced him from behind.

“Did you join us last night?” he asked quietly.

“You were already asleep and I didn’t want to wake you up. But I can’t sleep without you, obviously.”

Issei frowned. “Are you wearing a bra?”

He didn’t feel the usual pleasant sensation of her breasts. Something was in the way.

“I couldn’t take it off last night,” she said. “You were sleeping.”

“Unbelievable.”

“You know I don’t take them off myself,” she said. “You need to do that.”

“I know.”

Someone knocked on his door.

He frowned again.

“Give me a sec.”

Issei untangled himself from the double embrace and opened the door.

“Rias?”

“Morning,” she said.

Rias was dressed into her usual training gear. Only it wasn’t Sunday today.

“Uhm, I figured you could use an extra training today,” she said. “If it’s inconvenient, I can-”

“No no, it’s okay. Give me a minute.”

“Sure.”

He closed the door again and went back to his bed. Asia-chan was still fast asleep. She must be really tired.

He gave her a soft kiss. She didn’t wake up.

“I’ll make breakfast for when you get back,” Ruru-chan said.

“Okay. Love you.”

They kissed.

“Could you unhook it please?” Ruru-chan asked.

“You’re unbelievable.”

He reached beneath her nightgown and unsnapped her bra.

“Thanks, Senpai.”

“I’ll be back soon.”

Issei picked up his phone. There was a message from Azazel. He replied and then put on his training gear. 

Rias was waiting for him in the hallway. They went downstairs together, careful not to wake up Asia.

“How is she?” Rias asked. She laced up her running shoes.

As he had already guessed, Rias was looking for a convenient excuse to check up on Asia.

“She’ll be alright,” Issei said. “Azazel will come over today to take her blood and analyse it. We may be able to find some antidote.”   
“I hope so.”

“For now, she’ll just have to keep that bracelet on. Let’s just pray it keeps working.”

Issei was hoping for a better solution. They relied on Asia’s healing ability. Without that, they would have to be very careful. And Asia wouldn’t like being completely useless in a fight.

“I’ve read your report by the way,” Rias said.

“Oh. Right. About Vali.” He had almost forgotten about that.

“I don’t think we should ignore it. So I’ve asked Onii-chan to send over everything they have about Vali and the Boosted Gear. Will you help me go through it tonight?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks. Shall we?”

“After you.”

They went out and started running.

After a while, they arrived at the park.

Issei started his usual exercises.

“Why don’t you get on top of me?” he asked.

“Do  _ what _ ?”

“To do push ups,” he explained.

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

She carefully sat down on his back.

Issei continued his push ups. Rias wasn’t that heavy. He could easily push himself u-

“How was your training with Xenovia?”

His arms gave way. Issei crashed against the ground.

“Ise. Are you okay?” She got off him.

“I’m fine. I just lost focus.” He got back into position. “Let’s continue.”

“Are you sure?”

“Unless you want me to call a different girl to get on top of me?”

“No thanks. I enjoy this too much.” She got back on his back.

“Did Akeno infect you with that sadistic streak?”

“This is all me, Ise-kun. Keep going.”

Unbelievable.

He pushed himself up again.

“How do you know about my training with Xen-chan?” Issei asked. He tried to make his voice sound casual.

“She told me. Xenovia lives in the same building.”

“So, what did she say then?”

“That you did sword training in the Game Field. And that you were a good teacher.”

“Anything else?” he asked.

“That you fucked her tits well.”

Issei almost fell down again, but before his face could hit the ground, he recovered.

“I see,” he said. With supreme effort, he pushed himself back upright.

She must have phrased it like that on purpose to get him off balance.

“I don’t think she understands that was supposed to be a secret,” Rias said. She could barely hide the enjoyment in her voice.

“She’s pretty dense indeed.” He’d have to talk with her about that.

“Yes.” Her tone changed. “And if I find out you’re taking advantage of that…”

“Then what?” he challenged her.

“I would have thought you’d remember who’s the King here, given your position.”

“You know I could throw you off right now?”

“Then I’d have to punish you for your insolence,” she warned him. “If you become a Stray, they’ll hunt you down and kill you. You may be powerful, but you can’t handle what the higher ups will throw at you.”

“And you feel no guilt about enslaving me against my will?”

“I saved your life. You could be a bit more grateful for that. Every day you’re breathing is because of me,” she said. “Am I being so unreasonable?”

“Not to me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How mad is Akeno at you right now?”

“Shut up.”

“Your servants don’t appreciate it if you meddle with their relationships. If you think I’m taking advantage of Xen-chan, feel free to tell her that. But unless you want us to hate you, I wouldn’t go around forbidding people to see each other.”

“Your advice has been noted,” she said dryly. “Now keep going, you still owe me a lot of push ups.”

They kept going for a long time. He was sweating all over and his muscles were screaming in protest.

“Ise-senpai?”

He looked up.

“Xen-chan?”

Rias got off him. “That’s enough for today,” she said.

“I agree.”

“Meet me at the clubroom after school.”

“Yeah, sure.”

She left him.

Issei got on his feet. He studied Xen-chan.

The swordswoman had put her long hair in a neat ponytail and put on a tracksuit that hugged her curvy figure quite nicely.

“Training as well?” Issei asked.

“I train every morning,” she said. “The weather was nice today so I figured I’d run to the park.” She said nothing about how tired he looked.

“I see.”

It was silent for a moment. They both stood there awkwardly.

“Xen-chan?”

“Hm?”

“How… about us… we…”

“Ise-senpai?” She cocked her head to the side. As usual, she was confused when he didn’t speak his mind clearly.

“Where do we go from here?” Issei asked.

“I don’t understand.”

“Well, you know. We did some… stuff. But I don’t know what you want. Do you want to date me? I have two girlfriends already, so…”

“I’m well aware. I asked them before we did that. I asked everyone else as well, they all agreed to help.”

“Yeah, but…”

“I already told you why I did that,” she said. “I’m doing research. I’m trying to find new purposes for my life. As you are very knowledgeable about sex and I really like you, I asked you for help. That doesn’t mean we need to date.”

“I just wanted to check with you. I don’t want you to get the wrong expectations or something.”

“I never said I wanted to date you,” she said. “Where did you get that from?”

“Well, usually girls only do those things with boys they want to have a relationship with.”

Although now that he said it out loud, ‘usually’ rarely applied to Xen-chan.

She rubbed her chin. “Interesting. But that sounds boring. What if the boy is terrible at it?”

“Was I so bad?”

“You were amazing. But I can imagine some boys don’t know what they are doing, so why would you limit yourself to one person? You’re missing out on everyone else.”

“Well that’s how things tend to go,” he said. “Are you saying you plan to do things with other boys too?”

“Not at the moment. I’m very satisfied with you, Ise-senpai. And there is no one else I trust enough to ask for help. It puts me in a pretty vulnerable position after all. A swordswoman should never lower her guard around anyone unless she trusts that person completely. You’re the only one I trust enough to do that, Ise-senpai.”

“I…”

That was probably as close to a confession as Xenovia could come. 

“Thanks, Xen-chan,” he said. “That means a lot to me. I feel the same way about you.”

“Okay.” She smiled.

“By the way,” he asked. “What did you tell Rias?”

“Just what happened between us.”

“Why?”

“Why not?” She blinked innocently, confused again.

“Xen-chan. Those things are private. You can’t just talk to everyone about it.”

“Why? I could use a second opinion. You may have been amazing, but you’re the only boy I’ve been with. I could be missing out on a lot of things.”

“Rias is a virgin, she can’t help you.”

“Yeah, I know that now. She told me when I kept pressing her for advice. Do you know someone trustworthy who isn’t a virgin?”

“Well, Ruruko-chan, but she’s only been with me so far.”

“And what about Asia?”

“Technically speaking, she’s a virgin too.”

“Technically?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Well you’re a virgin too, aren’t you?”

“Of course-... oh, I see. So she has given you a paizuri as well then?”

“Well she certainly tried, but her chest was a bit small for that. Anyway, that wasn’t my point.”

“I’ll check in with you first before telling anyone about our training sessions. Is that acceptable to you?”

“Sounds good.”

“So uhm, when can we do another training session?”

“I’d love to, but… the stuff with Asia. My mind is elsewhere right now.”   
“I understand. Just give a call, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I need to continue my training now. Bye, Ise-senpai.”

“See you later.”

She ran on.

Well at least she had gotten him out of more exercise with Rias.

Issei walked back to his house.

“Morning,” a voice said.

“Asia? You’re awake.” He walked to her. She had gotten dressed in a short red summer dress he had never seen before.

“Are you okay?” Issei asked. He put his hands on her shoulders.

“I’m fine. Your healing really helped.”

“And the… you know, that poison?”

“The bracelet seems to be working.” She held up her hand. “Azazel came to take some blood, but he didn't have high hopes he’d find anything. But he’ll give a call.”

“Hm. You can’t keep this bracelet on forever.”

“Sure I can,” she said, confidently. “Could you uhm… teach me how to use a weapon?”

“Asia? You really want that?”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?” she said. “My Sacred Gear is sealed away, so this is the only way I can be useful.”

“No. I’ll find a way to restore Twilight Healing. You do have a choice.”

“But I don’t  _ want  _ to have a choice,” she told him. “It’s so much easier if there is only one option. Even if I don’t like that option, at least I won’t have to worry about making the wrong decision because I never had a choice in the first place.”

Issei sighed. “Yeah, I think I get that somewhat. Making decisions can be hard. Even so, I want you to have your Sacred Gear back. Asia is not Asia without her Twilight Healing.”

“Maybe it’s time for a new Asia then.”

“Fine,” he said. His voice hardened. “If that’s what you want.”

Issei took her hand and dragged her with him.

“Ise-san?”

“Don’t call me that.” 

“What are you doing?”

He dragged her in the elevator and pressed a button. The doors closed.

“You’re scaring me,” Asia said.

“Do you remember what you told me back then?” he asked calmly. “During our lunch in the woods?”

Her eyes widened. “I uhm… I promised I would stop calling you ‘Ise-san’.” A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

“And what else?” he pressed on.

“That I... “ she turned even more red. “That my life belongs to you. And you can do whatever you want with it. You can change me however you like.”

“Well I’m taking you up on that now.”

“I… okay.”

The elevator doors opened. They got out.

“I asked you a lot of times to take charge,” Asia said. “But you never did. Not like this at least.”

“I wanted you to make your own decisions,” he explained. “I’m not comfortable controlling your entire life like that. It makes me anxious too.”

“And now that changed?” she asked.

“No. I’m still anxious about it. But… I want you to be happy. And it doesn’t look like you’ll be happy like this. If I let you, you’ll try using a weapon and it won’t end well.”

“I have to make myself useful. I won’t sit by while you fight and risk your life for my sake, Ise-senpai.”

“You’ll do whatever I tell you to do.” Issei kept his voice hard. “Isn’t that what you want?”

“I do,” she confirmed.

“I’ll let you make yourself useful, Asia-chan. But we’re doing it my way. Your way won’t work. You’ll never be happy with a sword in your hand. And you won’t be happy just healing either.”

She said nothing.

Issei frowned. “Are you crying?”

“A bit.”

“Did I go too far?”

She embraced him. “No, I’m just so happy. You’ve finally accepted me. All of me.”

“Asia… you…”

“I’ve wanted this for so long.” She put her head on his shoulder.

“That’s pushing it a bit far,” he said.

She chuckled through her tears. “You’ve never seen this dress before, have you?”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“Take a guess how long I’ve spent worrying about whether you’d like it?”

“I…” he had a guess where this was going. “I don’t know.”

“I never stopped. It’s still in the back of my mind. You never said you like it. I wanted to ask, but I just couldn’t. Is it short enough? Does it show enough cleavage? Is the color okay? You have no idea how much I worry about everything. Even these stupid little things.”

He got out of their embrace and studied her body.

“Your dress is beautiful, Asia.”

“I’ve thought about it many times,” she said. “About how much easier it would be if you just told me what to wear all the time. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about it for a second.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I worried what you would think of me. I thought you wanted a strong confident girl who could make her own decisions without worrying about them constantly.”

“So you didn’t tell me you were worrying because you were worried?”

She smiled faintly. “Silly, I know.”

He was silent for a moment.

“So what if I’m wrong? And this makes you unhappy?”

“We can’t test out the different alternatives and compare them, Ise-senpai. But I know one thing for sure: I was never happy before I met you. If you care about me at all, that’s more than enough for me.”

“Of course I care about you. You’re my girlfriend.”

“ _ Slave _ girlfriend.”

“That wasn’t my point.”

“If you accept me, you have to use the right words, Ise-senpai.”

“As should you,” he said.

She looked away, embarrassed. “I… that… you… you’re really gonna make me say it?”

“Your call, Asia-chan. We both need to accept this, not just me. You don’t need to pretend it’s easy for you.”

She bit her lip.

“You don’t have to say it right now,” he said. “We have time.”

“Thanks.”

“Let’s get started on your combat training first.”

“Okay.”

They got inside the training hall.

“Shouldn’t I change into something more appropriate?” Asia asked.

Hm, maybe this was a good opportunity to test something out?

“You’re right,” he said. “Take off your panties.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “Uhm, that…”

“You know I’ll have to punish you if you don’t follow orders, right?”

“Yes. Just, give me a sec please.”

“I’m waiting.”

With a heavy blush, she reached beneath her dress and pulled down her panties.

Issei held out his hand.

She handed him her white panties. “Here you go, O-Onii-chan.”

He studied them. “Well someone is clearly getting excited.”

“A bit,” she mumbled, still avoiding his eyes.

“A bit?”

“A bit much.”

“Well stay focused. We have other things to do right now.” He put her panties in his pocket.

“Y-Yes, Onii-chan.”

Issei opened a cabinet with weapons. “There we go.”

He pulled out a compound bow.

“I thought you’d learn me how to swing a sword?”

“Nope.” Issei pulled the string in place. He handed her the bow.

Asia hesitantly accepted it. “What about arrows?”

“Your Sacred Gear is sealed away for now,” Issei said. “But you still have your magic and demonic powers.”

“I don’t get it.”

“You’ve learned to fire Twilight Healing as arrows. You can do the same thing with your magic,” he explained.

“So you want me to shoot arrows made out of aura?”

“Devils can share their demonic powers by direct skin contact. Rias once helped me recover from an injury like that. But you’ve learned to fire your aura itself as a beam.”

She frowned. “So you want me to shoot at allies?”

“If need be, you can fire a combat spell at an enemy. But you can also strengthen us by firing your aura itself. If your Sacred Gear restores, you can fire healing arrows as well.”

“Okay. That does sound a lot less scary than a sword.”

“Good.” Issei stood a few steps in front of her. “Let’s give it a try.”

“I can’t fire at you,” she protested.

“I trust you.”

“But…”

“Even if you accidentally fire a spell, magic works by projecting your imagination. Would you ever imagine hurting me?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Well then, I’m perfectly safe. We don’t have any time to waste, Asia. That thing is still out there, so I won’t go easy on you. The battle is going on, right now. So fire.”

“But…”

“No buts. I own you. And I gave you an order. Now do it or I’ll have to punish you.”

Asia swallowed hard. “Yes, Onii-chan.”

She raised her bow. When she pulled back the string, a green arrow appeared. It was made of pure light.

Asia shut her eyes tightly and released. The arrow fired and hit Issei straight in the chest.

A loud ripping sound reverberated through the air.

Issei blinked as the remnants of his jersey and shirt fell down on the floor. He was topless now. Luckily, his pants had been spared.

She dropped the bow and ran towards him. “Are you okay?”

“Where you by any chance thinking of something?” he asked calmly.

Asia turned bright red. “Well, that… you were so strong and dominant…” she looked away. “Some other thoughts may have crossed my mind.”

“Tsk. I thought you were an innocent church girl, Asia-chan.”

“ _ Were _ , exactly. Not anymore, Onii-chan. I’m whatever you want me to be now.”

The door opened.

“Senpai?” A new voice said. “What are you doing?”

“Oh Ruru-chan. Uhm, we were just… doing some stuff.”

“Well breakfast is ready and we’ll be late for school if you don’t hurry up.”

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m coming.”

They all stepped into the elevator.

“Something happened between the two of you,” Ruru-chan said. “And I don’t like being left out of the loop.”

“I’d give you an extensive report, but you said we had to hurry up.”

“You can tell me all about it during lunch break then. We made you bento.”

“Oh.”

“You were gone for a long time on your training,” Asia said. 

“And you left us unsupervised,” Ruruko added.

Issei smiled faintly. “Fine, fine, I’ll tell you all about it at lunch.”

The elevator stopped and they got out.

He ate breakfast with the girls and then they all put on their uniforms and hurried to school. They were just in time for their first class.

Class was boring as usual. At lunch, he met up with Ruruko and the three of them sat down near the old school building, in the shadow of a large tree at the edge of the forest.

They took out their bento.

“So,” Ruruko said. “Did something happen between you and Asia?”

“Sort off,” Asia said. “Ise-... Onii-chan decided to… well, take more charge.”

“I see.”

“We’ve talked about this a lot of times,” Issei said. “I never really felt comfortable completely deciding everything for Asia-chan. But now I’m convinced this is the only way she’ll ever be happy.”

“What about you, Ruruko-chan?” Asia asked. “You like him taking charge too, don’t you?”

“Well, that… In the bedroom, I like it, but outside of that, I want to make my own decisions.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Issei said.

“Unless you really want to-”

His phone vibrated.

“Sorry.”

He turned serious when he saw the name of the caller.

“Any news?”

They couldn’t hear what the other voice said. But as Issei listened, his face got darker.

“Yeah, okay, thanks anyway.”

Issei hung up.

“Something important?” Ruruko asked.

“Azazel finished analysing Asia’s blood.”

“That’s fast,” Asia said.

They all sensed this wasn’t good news.

“It’s indeed some kind of poison,” Issei said. “But it doesn’t look good.”

“No antidote?” Asia asked.

He shook his head. “It’s a very complex thing apparently. Azazel says he has never seen anything like that before. He’ll try searching, but…”

“There must be a way,” Ruruko said.

“Well, there’s…” 

“There is a way?” Asia asked. Some excitement sneaked into her voice.

“It’s possible to use an elixir which will basically inject that bracelet in your blood.”

“But, that would…” Her hope died again.

“Yes, that would permanently seal of your Sacred Gear.”

“Is that what you want?” Asia asked.

“Of course not. I like your Sacred Gear. I think healing suits a kind girl like you.”

“But if it’s the only way. This bracelet can be torn off during a fight. It’s risky.”

“I’ll find a different way,” Issei told her. “I promise.”

“Okay, I trust you.” Asia took his hand.

The bell rang in the distance.

“We need to get back to class,” Ruruko said.

“Yeah. You girls can go home without me tonight. I need to help Rias with something important.”

“Okay.”

They both kissed him before going back to class.

After school, Issei went to the clubroom. He entered without knocking.

“Wow.”

Rias was sitting at her desk. She almost vanished behind large stacks of binders and books.

They couldn’t all fit on her desk so they spilled over and formed stacks on the ground.

Rias had her glasses on, but she removed them when Issei entered.

“This is everything they had,” Rias said. “It’s quite a lot.”

Issei moved a stack from a chair and sat down.

“Sorry about this morning,” she said. “I went completely overboard.”

“It’s okay, I understand.”

“No, no, I feel really bad about it. I don’t want to treat any of you like servants. You’re all my precious family.”

“I know you didn’t mean what you said. We all say stupid things sometimes.”

“That’s no excuse. I hurt you, and I need to fix that.”

She stood up and walked around her desk. “Unfortunately there is only one thing I could come up with to make it up with you.” She put away a stack of binders and sat down on her desk in front of him.

“Rias?”

She opened up the buttons of her blazer. “You like breasts, don’t you, Ise-kun?”

“I do,” he said. “Where is this going?”

She started opening the buttons of her blouse as well.

“Well I figured you might want to touch them for a bit.”

“Oh.” He swallowed hard.

“I know you probably touch boobs every day, but I honestly couldn’t come up with anything else.”

She was right about that, but, 1: you could never touch too many breasts and 2: he had very little chance to touch such a large pair. Asia and Ruruko were both pretty small. Xen-chan was reasonably big, but nowhere near Rias. He had touched Akeno’s breasts before, but that was a long time ago. No way he would waste a golden opportunity like this.

“Where did you get this idea?” he asked.

“I… I may have consulted with one of your girlfriends. Ruruko-chan said she once showed you her breasts as a thank you for something. But as you already saw mine, I figured I’d let you touch them instead.”

She popped the last button and opened her blouse. He could see her red bra. The one with the rose pattern.

“I see.” Seems like everyone was talking with Ruruko behind his back.

Rias unsnapped her bra, but didn’t take it off.

“Just a bit, okay?” she said.

“Okay.”

“Go ahead then.” She looked away.

Issei carefully reached out and placed his hands on her breasts.

“You can do it directly,” Rias said. “Just, keep my bra on please.”

“Okay.”

He slipped his hands beneath her loose bra.

By now, her face had turned as red as her hair.

Issei massaged them carefully.

His fingers couldn’t fully wrap around them because they were so big. Honestly, was it even possible to be so big? Shouldn’t her back hurt from carrying around this weight all the time?

“Okay, that’s enough,” she said.

He stopped fondling them. Rias quickly put her clothes back on order.

“I hope you forgive me now,” Rias said.

“For what?”

She smiled faintly. “To be honest, I was rather curious. No one has ever touched my breasts before.”

“Well I’m happy to help you out then.”

“A-Anyway, back to business.”

“Right. Have you found anything so far?”

“Well.” Rias turned a heavy book around. “Look at this.”

“Hm.”

It was written in Deftodiz, the devil language. While Issei had practiced a lot, this seemed to be an older dialect of the language.

“Dragons?” Issei asked.

“Indeed. Two of the Longinus Gears were created by sealing a dragon inside. But it’s the other paragraph that is interesting.”

Issei frowned. “Copies?”

“Inferior copies started appearing later. Most famously the Twice Criticals or Dragon’s Hands. But there are others too.”

“Hm. So those might have come from those Longinus?”

“Maybe. And if they did, they could indeed be used to locate the real Longinus. Vali was speaking the truth.”

“But what does he want with the Boosted Gear?”

“There are two of them. I think he has the other one, Divine Dividing. Their dragon hosts have been at war since the dawn of time. It probably has nothing to do with you. You just happened to have one of those Echoes. Vali just wants to fight his rival.”

So that meant the guy in the park was the previous holder of the Boosted Gear. And Vali had killed him. Damn. Issei was lucky he only had an Echo and not the full Gear.

“So the dragons aren’t allied with the devils?”

“They don’t really care about us.”

“I see.”

“But Vali seems to know a lot about your powers, so if we help him find that other dragon, he could be inclined to tell you.”

“I think he’ll find it on his own with the Energy Signature.”

She sighed. “Yeah, probably.”

“Could you find anything else about him?” Issei asked.

“He appears to be working for Azazel. And he seems involved with several incidents revolving around Slash Dog.”

“Slash what?”

“He’s a Longinus holder associated with the Fallen Angels. A distant cousin of Akeno actually.”

“She has a cousin?” He was completely surprised at that.

“Yes. Himejima Shuri is his aunt, Akeno’s mother. Didn’t she ever tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Akeno is… well, it’s not for me to say. She has a complicated family history, that’s all you need to know.”

Now that Rias said it, he actually knew nothing about Akeno’s past. He knew Rias had saved Kiba from the Holy Sword Project and Koneko had a sister which was involved in a crime. They had planned to kill Koneko-chan, but Rias had saved her. But as to Akeno, he had no idea under which circumstances she had joined. Was her family still alive? Where they looking for her? Had she joined willingly, or was she killed and brought back?

“Ise?”

“Huh? Sorry, I was just thinking. I never really asked Akeno about her past.”

“She doesn’t like to talk about it,” Rias said.

“Even so, I kinda feel like it’s important to know. She’s a dear friend of mine.”

“Friend?”

“Hm?”

“Ah, nothing,” Rias said. “Anyway, I don’t think we’ll be getting anywhere like this. I’ll report it to the higher ups and tell them to keep an eye out for Vali, just in case. It doesn’t look like we’re in any danger for now. He has no reason to harm us.”

“I’m going home then.”

“Sure. See you tomorrow, Ise-kun.”

He cast a circle and teleported away.

Rias sighed. She used magic to send the files back to the archive.

Next, she cast a circle to go home.

The circle brought her to the hallway. Rias opened the door and entered.

“I’m home,” she said. She took off her shoes.

“Hm.” Akeno didn’t look up from the tv.

_ Here goes nothing. _

Rias sat down on the couch.

“Can we talk?”

“We are talking,” Akeno said coldly. “You won’t shut up.”

Rias sighed. Akeno had been doing this ever since she had talked with Issei.

“You can’t keep acting like this,” Rias said.

“Try me.”

“Can you at least give me the chance to explain? We’re friends aren’t we?”

“Friends don’t try to steal away their friend’s crush.”

“So you really are in love with him then?”

Akeno blushed. “That’s beside the point. It’s not up to you to decide my relationships.”

The Queen turned of the tv.

“I’m trying to protect you, Akeno. Ise… he’s… he already has two girlfriends.”

“So?” She looked defiantly at Rias.

“So are you willing to share him?”

“You don’t understand. I don’t want to be his girlfriend.”

Rias frowned. “Then what do you want?”

“I want to be his mistress. I want an affair.”

“A  _ what _ ?”

“It’s exciting isn’t it?” Her eyes lit up, seemingly forgetting that she was angry at Rias. “When he gets bored of his nice girls, he comes to see me to… well you get the point,” she turned back to the tv even though it wasn’t on. “I don’t mind if he treats me like a toy. In fact, I want him to treat me like that.”

“Even so, you want him to respect you, don’t you?” Rias insisted. “Outside the bedroom that is.”

“Issei understands that. It’s all a game.”

“And what about love?”

Akeno looked back at her. “What about it?”

“There is no one you want to have a romantic relationship with?”

“Not at the moment. What about you?”

“Well…” Rias took a deep breath. “I do.”

“You want Issei, don’t you? That’s why you-”

“No,” she cut her off. “I don’t. I like him, yes, and maybe… maybe I do want to try out some things, but that’s out of curiosity. I have no real romantic feelings towards him. We’re friends, nothing more.”

“Who do you like then?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Akeno’s eyes widened. “You can’t mean… that… where the hell is this coming from?”

“Well, I’m sorry,” Rias said. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, it just, sorta happened.”

“When?”

“A while ago,” Rias evaded.

“ _ When _ ?” Akeno insisted.

“About two years ago I think.”

“But, why didn’t you tell me?”

She knew she had made a mistake.

“I couldn’t. I just… I have to go.”

Akeno grabbed her hand as she rose. “No, stay.”

“Akeno?”

“I haven’t replied to your confession yet.”

Rias hesitantly sat back down.

“You really don’t have to say anything. I just… I wanted you to know why I don’t want to see you with Ise-kun. I was indeed jealous, but not because I love Ise.”

“The truth is that… well, maybe I…” Akeno took a deep breath. “I may have thought about it sometimes.”

“About what?”

“I’m a bit bi-curious okay?” Akeno said, mildly annoyed. “And you… I’ve always felt that we were more than just friends. But I didn’t want to act on it, because I figured you were getting marr- uhum, you were not gonna respond to my feelings anyway.”

“So you… you…” Akeno liked her as well?

“Do you mind that I’m fooling around with Ise-kun?”

“Well I… I may have let him touch my breasts today,” Rias admitted.

“You what?”

“Well, I… I treated him unfairly this morning and I had to make up with him, so I figured that was the best way.”

“And here you are getting mad if I get all lovey-dovey with him.”

“I was just scared you’d leave me and go live with him.”

“I wouldn’t do that. I don’t want to be his girlfriend, I just want…”

“An occasional booty call?” Rias suggested.

“I was gonna say ‘some adventure’, but sure. If you want to phrase it like that.”

This had all turned out better than she could have hoped. Rias had been certain Akeno would think she was gross for confessing and would never want to see her again. But they seemed to share some feelings.

“I think we should give…  _ us _ , a chance,” Rias said. “A real chance.”

“Let’s go on a date then.”

“Thought you’d never ask.”

 


	7. Chapter 6: Triple Date

“Onii-chan? Will you please zip me up?” Asia sat down on the bed with her back towards him.

Issei noticed her back was completely exposed.

“No bra?” he asked.

“Of course not,” Asia said. “You told me to wear this dress.”

“Well, I…” he had indeed picked out a dress and told her to wear it, but-

“Since you didn’t specify any underwear, I can only assume you didn’t want me to wear any,” she explained.

“Oh.”

“Was I wrong?” Fear sneaked into her voice.

“No, no. You’re right. If I wanted you to wear underwear, I should have specified that. Sorry for making you worry.”

“It’s okay,” Asia said. “It’s a bit new for both of us. Would you like me to put on underwear?”

“No. You’re fine like this.”

He carefully closed the zipper of her dress.

“Okay, Onii-chan.”

“Show me how it looks like,” he said.

Asia stood up.

The white dress looked pretty good on her. She was blushing slightly since this dress was more revealing than what she would usually wear. 

Issei motioned for her to turn around. Asia made a turn so he could check out the back as well.

“So,” Issei said. “I assume you’re not wearing panties either then?”

She blushed. “That’s right.”

“Show me.”

With trembling fingers, she lifted the hem of her dress. She was indeed wearing nothing beneath that dress.

Issei touched her between her legs.

She inhaled sharply. “O-Onii-chan?”

“I’m just touching what’s mine.”

“Y-Yes.” She kept her dress lifted.

“Oh my, someone is getting all excited.”

“Y-You too.” She nodded to the bulge in his pants.

“Senpai?” a voice said from the hallway. “What do you… oh.”

“Oh, hey, Ruru-chan,” he said, casually.

“Am I interrupting something?” she asked.

“Not at all.” He pulled his hand away. While looking at Ruru-chan, he brought his hand up to Asia’s face.

Without hesitation, Asia took his fingers in her mouth and dutifully licked them clean.

Issei studied Ruruko.

His other girlfriend had just gotten out of her shower it seemed. Her long auburn hair was still a bit wet. It was put up in the usual twin tails, but now, she used different clippers. Instead of the usual plain green, they were silver-green with elaborate flower patterns. She had put on eyeliner as well to make her green eyes stand out more. Ruruko had a similar dress on, but it was light blue instead of white. And he could see another set of straps going up, so Ruruko was wearing a bra.

He pulled away his fingers from Asia. “Good girl.”

Sensing he was finished for now, Asia put her clothes back to normal.

Ruruko ignored their little exchange.

“What do you think?” She spun around. Her dress was so short he caught a glimpse of her panties. White with green stripes.

“Looks good,” Issei said. “Where did you get those clippers?”

“Gift from Sona-senpai. It’s my anniversary today.”

“Wait, it’s your birthday?”

“No, my anniversary. Yesterday marked one year since I’ve become a devil.”

“Oh, congratulations.”

“Thanks, Senpai.”

He didn’t realise devil’s celebrated the day they reincarnated. But then again, their circumstances were drastically different. Issei had been dying, Ruruko had joined Sona-senpai willingly. That probably played a big role in it.

“You sure you want to spend your anniversary with me and not with your peerage?” Issei asked.

“It wasn’t possible for everyone to be free today,” Ruruko explained. “But we’re going somewhere this weekend.”

“Oh.”

“Besides. You’re more important to me.”

“Thanks, Ruru-chan.”

He checked his watch. “Still a bit early, but let’s go.”

“Okay.”

They went downstairs. Issei put on his usual shoes. Ruruko put on flat shoes as well. Asia hesitated.

“Onii-chan?” she asked.

“Oh, sorry. Uhm, are you okay with wearing these?” He took out her heels.

“Whatever you want, Onii-chan.” She accepted them and put them on.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” Ruruko complained.

“You can wear heels too,” Issei said. “If you want to.”

“Why do I have to torture my feet to look taller?”

“You don’t  _ have  _ to,” Issei said.

“Well clearly you prefer it,” Ruruko said.

“I also prefer it if you are comfortable,” Issei said. “I’m not gonna love you any less because you’re not wearing heels.”

“And you don’t want Asia to be comfortable?”

“Looking good for Onii-chan is more important to me than my own comfort,” Asia said.

“That’s insane,” Ruruko said.

“I’m happy like this,” Asia said.

“You’re just-”

“That’s enough,” Issei interrupted them.

They both shut up.

“I need to talk to Ruruko-chan,” he said.

“Okay.”

Asia went to the living room and closed the door.

“We’ll be late,” Ruruko said. She kept her gaze fixed on the floor.

“I’ll keep it short then: I want you to respect Asia’s decisions.”

“ _ Your _ decisions you mean?”

“Asia gave up control willingly. She can take it back whenever she wants. You don’t get to decide that for her.”

She sighed. “Sorry. I’m just…”

“Jealous?”

She finally met his gaze. “Asia can do so much more for you. She… she loves you more than I do.”

“So we’re  _ measuring _ love now? That makes no sense, Ruruko. I know it’s inevitable to compare yourself to her, but I promise I’ll give both of you equal attention as much as possible. You’re both first place, and nothing will change that.”

“You’re getting more girls,” Ruruko said.

“I only have two girlfriends. What happens with the others is different.”

“For now. But what if they become your girlfriends as well? I’ll get less and less, won’t I? I’ll have to share you with more and more people.”

“You knew that,” he said. “And you accepted it.”

“I know, I know. Still, it’s not easy.”

“Look, I can just… the two of you are more than enough for me. I don’t need to do things with other girls.”

“You don’t have to do that for me.”

“For a normal girlfriend, it wouldn’t be strange to ask her boyfriend is exclusive to her.”

“You’ll hate me if I ask you that.”

“That’s not-”

“Don’t lie to me please. Having a harem is your heart’s desire. If I take it from you, you’ll hate me. It’s as simple as that.”

“That…”

“We should go. We’ll be late.”

“Okay.”

He called Asia back.

“I’m sorry, Asia-chan,” Ruruko said. “I’ll respect your decisions from now on.”

“Thanks, Ruruko-chan.”

Issei summoned a magic circle.

The girls stood next to him. They both took one of his hands.

The circle activated and transported them to a small forest at the back of the movie theatre. It was already dark, so it was safe to teleport here. Well, it should be safe.

“I sense a presence,” Ruru-chan whispered.

He released Ruruko’s hand. Asia gripped his hand tighter, clearly afraid he’d let go of it.

“Promotion,  _ Queen _ .”

His free hand summoned a small ball of fire. It cast a circle of light around them. There were only trees though, and darkness beyond that. Nothing in sight.

“It’s him,” Asia said.

“Indeed.” Now he recognised it too. It was the shadow that had attacked them before. But he also realised why it had taken him so long to notice. The aura was distant and vague. This thing had to be at least a few hundred metres away from them, if not more. Or it shielded itself somehow.

“Ise-kun?”

He turned around wildly. “Akeno?”

“Good evening,” she said.

Rias was with her, but she looked at the ground and didn’t say anything.

“What are you doing here?” Issei demanded.

“Well we sensed the stray shadow roaming around here,” Akeno said. “So we decided to check it out.”

“In that outfit?” He pointed to Rias’ short red dress and Akeno’s even shorter black dress. They both had high heels on as well. Completely inappropriate wear to walk around in a forest.

“Well we found it by coincidence,” Akeno said. “It looks like it’s wandering around in here.”

“Hm.”

“We can’t hunt it down now,” Rias said, as if reading his thoughts. “This forest is too big to put up a barrier.”

“We could set a trap,” he suggested.

“Too late for that,” Akeno said. 

She was right. Apparently the shadow had sensed their presence too and decided not to engage. It’s aura grew more distant. It was probably running away from them. Not long after, Issei was unable to detect it.

“You should be careful,” Rias told them. “It might appear again.”

“Stay with me, Asia,” Issei said. They were still holding hands.

“Always.” 

“You still haven’t told us what you’re doing here,” Ruruko said to Rias.

“We could ask you the same thing,” she replied.

“I’m on a date with Senpai, obviously.”

“A double date,” Asia added.

“Are the two of you gonna watch a movie as well?” Issei asked. Given they were at the back of the movie theatre, that made sense.

“Yeah,” Rias confirmed. “We’re gonna watch Chains of an Angel.”

“Oh, it’s the same one,” Issei said. “Well we should hurry then, it’s gonna start soon.”

He didn’t notice Rias turned red when he said that.

They all got out of the forest and circled the building to the front entrance.

The five of them entered and found the right hall. Issei went up all the way to the last row. He made sure to keep holding Asia’s hand. She didn’t have much experience with walking in heels after all. And he didn’t want her to fall down.

“I’m telling you,” he said. “Love seats are pure discrimination.”

“Most boys only have one girlfriend,” Asia pointed out.

“Or boyfriend,” Ruruko added.

He sat down on their seat. Luckily, they could fit into one loveseat, since Asia and Ruruko where both very small girls. They had to sit pretty close together though. Not that he minded that.

Ruruko poked him. “Senpai, look at that.”

He followed her gaze. What the…

Down their row, a bit further, were Rias and Akeno. Rias avoided all eye contact, but Akeno casually waved at him.

“They are close friends,” Asia said. “It’s not weird.”

“Yeah,” Issei said. 

He wasn’t convinced though. These were loveseats. No matter how close friends you were, it was pretty weird to pick those.

He had no time to think about that though, since the lights went out at that point.

During the movie, he occasionally sneaked a glance at Akeno and Rias, but neither of them did anything strange. They were just watching the movie.

* * *

 

“Don’t,” Rias whispered. “Ise-kun will see.”

“Ara ara. Scared?” Akeno interlaced their fingers. 

“I’m not ready to tell him yet.”

“I think he can guess it on his own. Besides, he can’t see this.”

“Even so…”

Her mind told her Ise couldn’t see them holding hands from his angle, but somehow, her worries didn’t go away.

“They say being scared brings two people closer together,” Akeno said.

“Is that also true if you’re the reason I’m scared?” Rias shot back.

“Let’s find out, shall we?”

Akeno moved her hand. It went beneath Rias’ dress and rested on her thigh. The redhead inhaled sharply.

“Interesting,” Akeno said.

“Stop that,” Rias said. She took Akeno’s wrist.

“You might want to reconsider making a scene.”

Her eyes darted to Ise. Akeno was right. If she pulled Akeno’s hand away, Ise would notice.

Slowly, Rias put her hand down again.

“So,” Akeno said. “Does the fear make you feel closer to me?”

“It makes me want to kill you,” Rias said.

“They say love and hate are two sides of the same coin.”

“They say more things that don’t make sense. When we get out of here, I’ll remind you who’s the King and who the servant.”

“Scary,” Akeno teased her. “But for now, you’re helpless, aren’t you?”

Her hand slowly crept upwards along Rias thigh.

“Don’t you dare,” Rias warned her.

“Or what?”

Suddenly, Rias put her hand on Akeno’s thigh.

“Y-You.” Akeno’s confidence leaked out.

“Something wrong?” Rias asked. “I’m just doing the same thing you’re doing.”

“Fine, if we’re gonna play it like that.”

* * *

 

“Those two are doing something,” Ruruko said.

“I can’t see well,” Issei said.

“Exactly. Normally your devil senses should see and hear them without trouble. One of them must have casted a barrier.”

“Maybe they just don’t like us spying on them?”

“Meaning there is something to spy on?” Ruruko pressed on.

“Just give them their privacy, Ruru-chan.”

“I can’t. My curiosity is not yet satisfied.”

“You’re never satisfied.”

“Well-”

The lights turned on.

“Looks like we’re halfway through,” Asia said.

The screen displayed a message stating there was a ten minute break before the second part.

Both Rias and Akeno stood up and went down. They both had a blush on their face. Had something happened between them?

“Onii-chan,” Asia said.

“Hm?”

“I have to go pee.”

“Okay,” he said. “I’ll just wait here then.”

“Could you… come with me?” she asked.

“What?”

“You said you wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“You did indeed say that,” Ruruko said.

“I’ll go with you then.”

“I’ll wait here,” Ruruko said.

He escorted Asia to the toilets.

“I’ll just wait here,” Issei said.

“You said you’d go with me.”

“Yes but…” he dropped his voice. “Not  _ inside _ .”

“You said you’d go with me,” Asia repeated.

“I can’t go into the girl’s bathroom,” Issei said. “People will notice.”

“Let’s go into the handicapped stall then,” Asia said.

“What?”

“Not like anyone will dare to say something.”

“Okay then.”

They went inside together. Issei locked the door behind them. Luckily, this was an actual door and not a cubicle, so people outside couldn’t hear them.

He turned to the left wall. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“You have to watch me,” Asia said. “Something could happen.”

“Aren’t you taking things a bit far?”

“Are you having second thoughts?” Asia asked.

He sighed. “No. Just… are you okay? I’ve been very dominant. You’re complying with everything, but I want you to do that because you want to, not because you’re afraid of displeasing me.”

“I  _ am  _ afraid of displeasing you,” Asia said. “Isn’t it perfectly normal you want to make the person you love happy?”

“Yes, but… it’s a bit one sided, isn’t it? While I certainly worry about making you happy, it doesn’t dominate every second of every day. You care more about me than I care about you. You’re not hesitating for a second to put your own happiness aside for mine.”

“They are not separate, Onii-chan. You are my only reason to smile. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I’m not putting anything aside, my happiness comes directly from yours.”

“That’s a bit hard to believe.”

“I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want,” Asia said. “If you want to go back to-”

“No. I don’t want to go back.” If he was being honest, he quite liked this. “You’re mine, Asia, all of you.”

“Okay,” she said. “I think break is gonna be over soon, so I better hurry up and pee.”

“No. We’re going back now.”

“Onii-chan?”

“I didn’t give you permission to go pee.”

Her eyes widened. “I…”

“You just said you had to go pee, you didn’t  _ ask  _ me if you were allowed to go.”

“I didn’t consider I had to ask permission for that.”

“I own you,” he said. “All of you. So yes, you need to ask permission to go to the bathroom.”

“Okay. Would you like to punish me for my insolence?”

“As you didn’t know, I’ll let it slide this time. But next time you will be punished.”

“Yes, Onii-chan.”

“Now hold it, and ask me properly next time.”

She nodded weakly.

They returned to the hall. Her heels made clicking noises on the floor.

“Thanks for accepting me, Onii-chan,” she said.

“I didn’t take things too far?”

“There is no need to be insecure. You can take things as far as you like. I’ll accept it all.”

He held out his hand. She took it.

They entered the hall again and took the stairs up.

“That sure took a while,” Ruruko said.

“We had some things to discuss,” Issei said.

“I see,” she said. “You look… I don’t know. Closer?”

“Maybe. The movie is gonna start again.”

* * *

 

She shouldn’t be doing this. This was completely insane.

Yet…

Would she be able to control herself if she didn’t do this? She had to do something or she’d never make it through the second half of the movie.

Hesitantly, Rias bunched up her dress and put her hand inside her panties.

Akeno had gotten her quite worked up. If she didn’t fix this, things would get really out of hand. Her barrier may have stopped Issei from noticing anything, but there was only so much sound and vision you could block. What if the lights suddenly went on while she…

She shook away the thought. 

Rias wouldn’t have gotten into this situation if she hadn’t fantasised about Akeno so much in the last years. But strangely, the problem was also the solution. She could simply conjure up her favorite fantasy about Akeno and play it in her head. She’d finish before the movie started again.

* * *

 

Akeno was waiting for her in the hallway.

“We should get back, there’s not much time left.”

“Yeah.”

They walked back to the hall.

As they entered, they saw Ise taking the last stairs and moving to his seat with Asia.

According to the screen, there were only ten seconds left.

Akeno and Rias hurried up the stairs.

This time, she sat down on the seat next to Akeno. The arm rest stayed between them.

The lights went out again and the movie continued.

Ise seemed to be sneaking glances at them even more than before. Rias couldn’t help but feel like he knew what was going on. Either that, or he was just really confused because Rias had changed seats.

Luckily, the movie ended without further incidents.

Ise walked up to them when it was over.

“So, did you have fun?”

“What?”

“The movie,” he clarified. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Oh, yeah, it was good,” Rias lied. She could hardly remember what it was about.

They all went outside.

She heard Ise discuss the movie with Ruruko-chan and Asia-chan, but Rias wasn’t really paying attention.

They reached the forest.

“Well, see you at school,” Ise said.

“Yeah.”

Akeno summoned a circle for her.

They teleported home.

In the hallway, Rias removed her shoes. Akeno did the same.

“I’m sorry,” Rias said. “It’s just… Ise-kun was there, and I wasn’t ready for-”

“Shh,” Akeno shushed her. “It’s okay. I understand.”

“But…”

“Come with me.”

Hesitantly, Rias followed Akeno to the couch.

“We can do it over,” Akeno said. “There is no one here.”

“You mean…”

“Let’s watch another movie,” Akeno said.

Rias smiled. “Okay.”

She sat down next to Akeno.

The Queen turned on the tv and started a movie. A strange scene appeared.

“Wait, which movie is this?”

“I borrowed it from Ise-kun,” Akeno explained.

“You  _ borrowed _ it?”

“I hope you appreciate the effort. It wasn’t easy to get.”

“Does he know you have it?”

“Don’t concern yourself with unimportant details, Ria-tan,” Akeno teased her.

“Don’t call me that,” Rias warned her. “I’m your King.”

“Scary,” Akeno teased her. “What are you gonna do, spank me?”

Rias leaned in and kissed her.

Akeno was surprised at first, but then got into it. The unresolved tension boiled over and it only took a few seconds before their tongues started touching.

Their breasts were pressed together because they were so close together.

Rias explored Akeno’s mouth with her tongue, but very quickly, Akeno pushed back and forced her tongue in Rias’ mouth.

Rias pushed back again. She wasn’t done yet.

The King sucked hard on Akeno’s tongue. In Akeno’s brief surprise, Rias could take the lead again.

Their tongues fought for dominance. Not in a playful way, no, they were actually  _ fighting _ .

Their hard kiss made it difficult to keep breathing.

Rias momentarily stopped kissing Akeno. She grabbed her shoulders and pushed her Queen against the back of the couch.

Akeno let out a surprised yelp before Rias sat down on her lap and claimed her lips again.

She used her weight to keep Akeno against the couch, however, Akeno grabbed her shoulders and turned her around. Their positions reversed.

Akeno’s tongue pushed past Rias’ lips, not caring about the feeble resistance.

Rias was pushed harder against the couch.

She grabbed Akeno’s shoulders and held her off.

“Just give in,” Akeno whispered. She moved down to kiss Rias’ neck and collarbone.

“Never,” Rias replied.

Akeno let out a frustrated sound. She reached up to touch Rias’ chest, but Rias grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“Stop acting like that,” Akeno said. “Just let me-”

“You’re the one who’s acting like that,” Rias snapped.

“Alright, alright, let’s just calm down.”

Akeno got off her and sat down on the couch on a safe distance.

“Sorry,” Rias said. “I’m getting carried away.”

“Me too,” Akeno said.

An awkward silence fell.

“I’m thirsty,” Akeno announced.

They both knew it was an excuse for her to flee to the kitchen.

Akeno took her time and then returned with two glasses of water. She handed one to Rias.

They drank for a few quiet seconds.

“We can’t both be dominant,” Rias broke the silence.

“You’re crazy if you thought I’d submit to you,” Akeno said. “You know I’m a massive S.”

“And you thought your King would submit to you? The Red Ruin Princess?”

“You’re just too proud to admit you want to be my little bitch,” Akeno said.

“Well you said you wanted to be Ise’s toy.”

Akeno blushed. “That’s… different.”

“So you don’t trust me?”

“No, I do. It’s just…” she hesitated. “Ise is the only one who makes me submit. If you had taken charge and confessed earlier, things might have turned out different, but right now…”

Rias frowned. “Have you…”

“I said I was a bit bi-curious didn’t I?” Akeno said. “And we were living together. So yes I occasionally fantasised about you. I’m sure you did the same.”

“I… that’s beside the point.” Rias turned red as well.

“Ara ara, Rias. You’re so dirty.” Akeno’s voice seeped with seduction.

“In your fantasies,” Rias asked, not taking the bait. “Who was the dominant partner?”

“You really need to ask that?”

Rias sighed. “Well that’s a problem. Because when I thought about you, I was the dominant partner too.”

“At first I thought Ise was cute,” Akeno said. “But then he grew so strong and manly. It’s only then I started to get interested in him. And when I tried teasing him, he quickly flipped the tables on me.”

“I still think it’s strange you’re submitting so easily to him.” When she was with Issei, he wasn’t very dominant. Quite the opposite in fact. He even asked her to sit on top of him while doing push ups.

“You don’t understand,” Akeno said. “You’ve never done sexy things with him.”

“I’ve let him touch my chest for a bit,” Rias protested.

“Oh please. That hardly counts. Did you even get him hard?”

“I don’t know, I wasn’t paying attention to that.”

“That’s a no then.”

“We kissed too,” she insisted.

“You gave him CPR you mean?”

“Anyway, I still don’t understand,” Rias said. “Ise isn’t dominant with me.”

“Try and seduce him and you’ll see just how dominant he is,” Akeno said. “Ise is very strong. And he has a harem. Once you really get him going, he will  _ make _ you submit.”

“And what if you don’t?”

Akeno shrugged. “He has Asia-chan, Ruruko-chan and now Xenovia as well the way I heard it. He doesn’t have to compromise. You accept his terms, or you turn around and leave. He has plenty of other girls.”

Hm. When you put it like that, it made sense. Ise was in a position where he could choose, but they weren’t. It wasn’t that everyone wanted to submit to him. There were just a lot of girls that were interested in him, and he rejected the ones that would not submit to him. Which explained how he ended up with Asia and Ruruko, probably the most submissive girls in their peerages. Xenovia was quite submissive as well. Maybe outside the bedroom she was very strong, but she was insecure about sex because she had zero experience. If Ise told her she was supposed to kiss the man’s feet before having sex, she’d believe that and do it without question.

“You know he had a crush on you in the beginning, right?” Akeno said.

“He did?”

Akeno chuckled. “Are you really that dense?”

“If he had a crush on me, why didn’t he act on it?”   
“Because he doesn’t do the chasing. He lost interest in you once he realised you would not submit to him.”

Hm. Could that be true? When she let Issei touch her breasts, he hadn’t been as into it as she would have expected. She had thought he would be rougher, and immediately touch them directly. But she had to tell him to go beneath her bra. And when she said stop, he immediately stopped. Since she was apologizing to him, he could have continued. He just had to remind her about that and say he was the one deciding when she was forgiven, not her. Yet he had not taken that obvious opportunity to touch her more. Even so… 

“That doesn’t solve our problem,” Rias said.

Akeno sighed. “I don’t think you can undo years of fantasies. When we started this date, I already had a very strong image of how I wanted it to go. It’s not gonna work if you clash completely with that. I want you as my little plaything, Rias, and I won’t back off.”

“Well then we have a problem, because I won’t back off either. Besides, I’m already your Master.”

“You really want to force me to submit?”

“No,” Rias said. “I would never do that.”

“Well what do you want to do then?”

Rias sighed. “Maybe it’s best if we stop dating.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too.”

“Good night, Akeno.”

Rias went to her room without waiting for a reply. She closed the door and collapsed on her bed. 

She should have known this was never gonna work out. Both of them were too proud to allow the other one to be in charge. She was the heir of Gremory, the Red Ruin Princess. There was no way she’d ever submit to anyone, certainly not her own servant.

It was stupid to confess in the first place. How could she ever face Akeno again after this?

Rias closed her eyes, but didn’t go to sleep. Her thoughts kept her awake.

After a while, a vibrating noise woke her up.

She opened her eyes. A chilling feeling crept up her spine. Was that her…

Oh, never mind, it was just her phone.

She picked up without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

[Rias?]

She jerked upright. “Ise!?”

[Why do you sound so surprised? You expected someone else?]

“No reason.”

[I just called because… well, I was a bit worried. It looked like you had a fight with Akeno or something.]

“Oh… yeah, something like that.”

[So I just wanted to know if you were okay.]

“Thanks for checking on me,” Rias said. “But I’m fi…” the words got stuck in her throat.

[I’m coming over,] he said.

“You don’t have to,” Rias protested.

[I’m your Pawn, it’s my duty to protect you from danger.]

“I’m not in danger now.”

[Oh yes you are. I’ll protect you from everything, even from yourself. I’m coming over, whether you like it or not.]

“I… thanks, Ise-kun.”

Moments later, a circle lit up in her room. Ise stepped out of it. He still wore the clothes from his date.

Staying silent, he sat down at her feet.

Rias crawled over the bed and hugged him. She couldn’t stop her tears anymore.

“Shh, it’s okay.” He held her tight. “Just tell me what happened.”

“I can’t.”

“Either you can tell me, or I can ask Akeno,” he said. “Your choice.”

“That’s blackmail.”

“Indeed,” he confirmed. “What are you gonna do about it?”

“I’m your King,” she said. “I can punish you for this.”

“I don’t think you can.”

She got out of their embrace. “You don’t know me.”

“Go ahead,” he said. “Hit me.”

Her Pawn moved his head to the side.

She lifted her hand. It glowed red.

Their eyes stayed locked until Rias lowered her hand again. The glow went out.

“This is so unfair,” Rias said. “You know me better than I know myself.”

“That’s not true. You are just maintaining some illusions. You’re too proud to admit your own weaknesses. You care about all of us, but you pretend you don’t because you’re afraid. You’d never hit me, and you know it.”

She was starting to understand what Akeno meant. Ise could see right through her.

“I went on a date with Akeno,” Rias said.

“Oh. I see.”

“But it didn’t go well,” Rias added.

He said nothing.

“It’s just that… well, you know how Akeno is.”

“Dominant? Proud?”

“We don’t match well.”

“I don’t know. I don’t know about you, but Akeno secretly wants to submit.”

“Not to me,” Rias said.

“Hm. And what about you? You don’t have any secret desires about submitting?”

“Don’t get presumptuous, Ise-kun,” she warned him.

“I’m just trying to help. Cause it looks like you have a big problem.”

“I noticed,” Rias said dryly.

He said nothing.

“I was so stupid for confessing to her,” Rias blurted out.

“At least you told her how you feel,” Ise said.

“I  _ live _ with her,” Rias said. “It’s gonna be super awkward.”

“You could move out. There’s plenty of space in this building.”

“But. I don’t want to leave Akeno.”

“Look, not all relationships are gonna work out.”

“Easy for you to say.” She started to get angry. “Everything always works out for you.”

“Maybe it appears that way to you.”

“Oh come on, you’ve got  _ two _ girlfriends, and you’re screwing around with Xenovia as well.”

“I’m not in a position to complain, I know, but I just want to say that it’s not like I get every girl I want.”

“Name one example,” she challenged him.

“She’s sitting right in front of me.”

Rias turned as red as her hair.

She quickly avoided his confident eyes. “Now is not the time to confess to me.”

“I’m not confessing.”

“I let you touch my breasts before,” she said. She didn’t even know what this was about anymore.

“Yes, but have we done anything else?”

“We kissed as well.”

“You gave me CPR you mean?”

“Still counts.”

“If you say so.”

She met his eyes again. “Well if you like me so much, then why didn’t you act on it?”

“You really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

He sighed. “I was afraid it would change you.”

“What?”

“You know I’m not gonna dump Asia-chan or Ruruko-chan.”

“So?”

“So you’d be part of a harem. And the Rias I know is too proud for that. You’d want me all for yourself. You’d  _ never  _ accept sharing me.”

“You don’t know that. I might learn to accept it.”

“But then you wouldn’t be Rias anymore,” he said. “The reason I admire you, is because I know you won’t accept it. It’s your strength that attracts me.”

“That strength is just an illusion. I’m just as insecure as everyone else inside.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re not in love with me. You’re in love with an  _ idea  _ of me. You’re in love with the Red Ruin Princess.”

“Which is why I didn’t act on it. In a real relationship, it would quickly become clear you’re not as perfect as you appear. But on this distance, you can maintain the illusion.”

“Then you shouldn’t have come. You shouldn’t have seen me cry. I’m ruining your image.”

“I care more about you than I care about a fake image. We’re friends. And I’m your Pawn.”

She was silent for a moment.

“I can’t blame you,” Rias said. “I’m doing the same thing. I like the Harem King. I like the hero that saves me. We’re both in love with someone who doesn’t really exist.”

Ise said nothing.

An idea formed in Rias’ head. It was crazy, but she couldn’t let it go.

“Can I ask you a favor?” she asked.

“Sure.”

“It’s pretty big.”

“Just say it.”

“Can you play Harem King for me? No, for  _ us _ .”

“I don’t understand.”

“Akeno won’t back down, I won’t either. Neither of us will let the other one be in charge. But what if you were in charge? The Harem King I mean.”

“You want me to…”

“Direct both of us,” she said. “It’s the only way I can be with Akeno. If you told us what to do, neither of us would have a choice.”

“That’s a bit…”

“It’s extreme, I know. But it’s the only thing I can think of. You’re the only one I trust enough to ask this.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You want me to play a role,” he said. “You won’t accept orders from anyone, so you’re asking me to play some character from your fantasies. Because that’s the only ‘person’ you’d take orders from.”

“Something like that yeah.”

“What would I get out of that? The two of you are having a relationship, not me. So you expect me to just watch?”

“I see what you mean.” She took a deep breath. “If you do it, then I… you don’t need to hold back. You can do things to me as well if you want to.”

“Anything I want?”

“Y-Yes, anything you want. I’m asking a lot of you, so it’s only fair you get something in return. I’ll do anything you want. Just, don’t tell anyone.”

“Alright then,” Ise said. “I’ll agree, if Akeno accepts the same terms.”

“I’ll go get her,” Rias said.

She returned not long after with Akeno. They explained the situation.

“Hm,” Akeno said. “I never imagined you’d come up with a plan like that, Rias.”

“It just sorta happened,” Rias said. The blush on her cheeks would not go away.

“And you really intend to submit completely to Ise-kun?”

“If we can be together like that, yes. If you do the same. We can’t both be dominant, but maybe both of us can be submissive?”

“I think you secretly fantasized about this,” Akeno said.

Rias blushed. “That’s not important. Do you agree or not?”

She looked at Ise. “I’ll think about it. But I want to speak to Ise-kun first,  _ alone _ .”

“I understand.”

Rias went to the living room.

“Look,” Issei said. “It was her idea.”

“Well you didn’t turn her down, did you?”

“Obviously not. But I understand if you don’t want this.”

“Oh, but I do. Didn't I tell you before? I would love to be your little plaything. And having Ria-tan join me is just an added bonus.”

Issei frowned. “Then why didn’t you just say so?”

“Well it wouldn’t be fun if I agreed immediately. Rias already agreed, so I can keep teasing her with it.”

“If you do that, I’ll have to tell her.”

“Then I might change my mind.”

“I don’t think you will. You want Rias to trust you, right?”

“I do,” Akeno said. “But…”   
“But what?”

“Can you just wait a few days? Until after my birthday.”

“Why?”

“There is something I want to do first, without Rias. After that, I’ll tell her. Then we’re all yours.”

“Okay.”

“Thanks, Ise-kun.”

They went back to the living room.

“Akeno wants a few days to think about it,” Issei said.

“Oh,” Rias said. “I understand. Take however long you need.”

“Thanks for understanding,” Akeno said.

“I have to go now,” Issei said. “Asia will get worried if I stay away too long.”

He said goodbye to Akeno and Rias and teleported back home.

Issei stepped out of the circle.

Both girls were sitting on his bed. They were playing Bikini Warriors on the tv in his room. 

They still had their dresses on, and in Asia’s case, her shoes as well.

“That’s quick,” Ruruko said. She put away the controller.

“Quick?”

“Well you usually take your time when you do me.”

“What do you think I did? I just went to talk with Rias.”

“Sure, sure. ‘Talk’.”

“Nothing happened,” Issei assured her. “For now.”

“That sure sounds like you have plans.”

“Maybe.” He sat down on the bed. “Are you okay Asia? You’re quiet.”

“Uhm, I…” she blushed deep red.

“What’s wrong?”

Asia leaned closer and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh,” Issei said. “Sorry, I forgot. You can go.”

“Thanks, Onii-chan.”

Asia left them.

“What’s up with her?”

“She’s going to the bathroom,” Issei said.

Ruruko frowned. “Uhm, okay?”

“Ruru-chan?”

“Hm?”

“What do you think?”

“Well you’re taking it a bit far, but she seems okay with it.”

“I was talking about that thing was in the forest.”

“Oh. Well I think it hoped the poison would still be active. If Asia had started arguing and ran off into the forest, she’d be an easy target. The forest is an ideal place for an ambush.”

“So it knew we were gonna go to the movies?”

“Or it’s just a coincidence.”

“Whatever the case, I want to activate Asia’s Sacred Gear again. Then we can focus on that thing.”   
“How are you gonna do that?”

“I have an idea. But I’ll need to discuss it with Azazel first. It’s a bit risky.”

Asia returned.

“What would you like me to wear for the night, Onii-chan?” she asked.

“Hm, nothing.”

“A-As you wish.” She took off her heels and sat down on the bed with her back towards him. Issei unzipped her dress for her.

Asia stood up again so she could step out of it. She carefully folded the dress and put it away. Then, she sat down on his bed.

“Anything else you require of me, Onii-chan?”

“Ye, no fair Senpai,” Ruru-chan complained.

“Well you can wear whatever you want,” Issei said. “I’m not stopping you.”   
“Hmph.” She reached back and undid her zipper.

Ruru-chan shrugged out of her dress and sat in front of him.

“Take it off please.”

Issei gladly helped her take off her underwear.

“O-Onii-chan,” Asia said. “If you think I’m ready for… the real thing, then…”

“Not today Asia. There is something I want to do first.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll just have to take care of you in the meantime,” Ruru-chan said. “If Asia-chan doesn’t mind.”

“Whatever makes Onii-chan happy,” Asia said. “Shall I-”

A magic circle lit up next to Issei’s ear.

He frowned.

“Kiba?”

[...]

Issei’s face turned very serious. “Are you sure?”

[...]

“We’re coming, stay there.”

Issei stood up.

“What happened?” Asia asked.

“You stay here,” Issei said to her. “Get dressed, both of you. We have a serious problem.”

He went to the walk-in closet and picked out yoga pants, a shirt and a hoodie for Asia.

“I’m not staying here alone,” Asia protested.

“I wasn’t asking,” Issei said. “You’re mine and you’ll do everything I tell you to. That was our deal. Now is not the time to get second thoughts.”

“I’m not having second thoughts,” Asia said. “But I think I deserve an explanation at the very least.”

“If you go out, we’re just playing into his hand. Now get dressed.”

She did as he asked. 

“It’s that shadow isn’t it?” she asked. “Something happened?”

“Yes. So you can’t go out there, it’s too dangerous. You’re the one he’s looking for.”

“But to leave me here alone…”

“Alone? What the hell are you talking about?”

“I don’t get it.” She zipped up her hoodie.

Issei checked on Ruruko. She was already fully dressed in a training outfit.

“Come with me.”

The girls followed him downstairs. He opened the door to the living room.

A whole bunch of people were waiting for them there. Asia recognised them as the Sitri peerage. Some of them had messy hair from just getting out of bed. Only the King and Queen were in uniform. The rest seemed to have put on whatever happened to be lying around. One girl wore a loose fitting shirt and yoga pants which were certainly used to sleep in.

“Thanks for coming so fast,” Issei said to Sona-senpai.

“Given the situation we had no choice,” she said calmly.

“Who will go?” Issei asked.

“Tsubaki and I will stay here. The rest will go with you.”

Issei nodded. “Thanks.”

He turned to Asia. “I need you to stay here with Sona-senpai and Tsubaki-senpai.”

“But you said…”

“I said you had to stay here,” he said. “I didn’t say you’d be alone.”

“Okay, uhm, sorry for doubting you. I should have-”

“We don’t have time for that now,” Issei said. “We can talk later, focus on the problem at hand now.”   
“Right. What do you need me to do?”

“Communicate with everyone and keep track of our positions on a map.”

“So you need me to coordinate?” she asked. “Along with Sona-senpai and Tsubaki-senpai.”

“Indeed. Can I count on you?”

“Of course.”

Issei pulled something from a magic circle.

“Just in case,” he said. “But I hope it won’t be needed. Call me if you’re really in trouble.”

“Okay.” She accepted the bow.

“We really have to go now. There is no time to waste.”

He gave her a quick kiss on her lips.

“Stay safe,” she said.

“Always.”

All of them went out.

Just as the door closed, it occurred to Asia she still had no idea where they were going.

 


	8. Chapter 7: Evelyn

Xenovia opened her eyes.

Where did this huge headache come from?

"Ah, you're awake," a male voice said.

She frowned. Right in front of her was a strange creature. It had a human form, but it was completely black. Like it wore a skin-tight bodysuit, except without eyes or mouth. On its broad back, several tentacles sprouted, like a weird octopus hybrid.

It looked like a strange crossover between Dr. Octopus and black Spider-Man. There were no eyes or mouth, but the sound came from the black head.

Behind this thing were several old chairs arranged neatly in rows along with grey walls and colored glass. She recognised this is a church.

On the first row of chairs were five more black humans. These were much smaller, female forms without tentacles on their back. They all sat motionless on their chairs.

Xenovia suddenly realised she was tied up. There were handcuffs on her wrists with a chain running up and vanishing in the darkness of the high ceiling. The runes engraved on them glowed faint purple. These were reinforced with magic. She was forced to stand up, but they were reasonably lose, so she didn't have to stand on her tiptoes.

Xenovia tried to reconstruct the events. She had gone training with Kiba and something had happened while they were running around the forest. But what?

"You're a bit disorientated from the drugs," the creature said. "But it should clear up soon enough."

Drugs?

Wait, now she remembered. They had been ambushed by this shadow monster. When the tentacles hit her, her body had gone limp. And then, this thing had given her an injection which made her lose consciousness.

"What do you want with me?" Xenovia asked.

"Oh, now the fun begins." The black retracted from his face revealing dark blueish hair and very strange eyes. They were amber-colored with a red-black glow in them. It looked like the aura of the Power of Destruction which also showed red with black mixed in. The colors seemed to dance around in his eyes. It had to be a consequence of those tentacles, which were almost certainly a Sacred Gear.

She noticed that when he retracted the black from his face, the exact same happened to the females behind him, at the same speed.

"Am I supposed to know you?" Xenovia asked.

"Normally I go for Holy Maidens and sisters," the man said, ignoring her. "But you'll have to do until I can claim my real prize."

"My King," a silver haired female stepped forward. "I must again urge you to-"

The man slapped her face. His slap was so hard she stumbled backwards.

"Silence," he said. "Sit down and maintain the barrier."

The young girl rubbed her reddish cheek. Then, she brushed the imaginary dust of her black bodysuit and sat back on her chair.

"As I said," the man continued. "You'll have to do for now."

"What do you want with Asia?" Xenovia asked. It was now pretty clear this was the same creature that attacked them before. And since he talked about Holy Maidens, he could only mean Asia-chan.

"I want to add her to my collection."

"Collecti-... wait a minute." She looked back at the girl. "You. I know you. You're Evelyn."

"It's been a while, Xenovia," the girl said calmly.

"And those," Xenovia said. "Are those all…"

"Holy Maidens, indeed," she confirmed. "Well, they are no longer maidens of course."

"What did you do to her?" Xenovia demanded. She struggled against her chains.

"I added her to my collection," the man said, smiling disgustingly. "Unfortunately you don't qualify, so I'll have to dispose of you when I'm done."

Xenovia swallowed hard. That didn't sound good.

* * *

Ruruko stepped out of the magic circle.

"Ise-senpai. This is…"

"The forest we just came from, indeed. That shadow was here for a reason."

The others arrived as well.

"Ise-kun," a voice called.

"Kiba. Man, you look surprisingly good for having battled that thing."

There wasn't even a scratch on him.

"It came out of nowhere," Kiba explained. "One of those tentacles hit me, and suddenly I couldn't move anymore. The same thing happened to Xenovia."

"How long did it last?" Issei asked.

"Around ten seconds I think."

"Hm. It must be evolving. If it could do this before, it would have done so already. So it must be gaining new powers."

Not to mention it had ambushed them, so it must have found a way to hide its aura temporarily.

It had to be a Sacred Gear. Only Gears could show such versatility.

"We have to find her," Rias said.

"No use aimlessly wandering around in the forest," Issei said calmly. He touched his ear. "Asia? How far are you?"

[Tsubaki-senpai has calculated the approximate range you can detect it. We're working out routes to cover the entire forest.]

She was speaking to everyone.

"Are we even sure it's still around here?" A Sitri Knight asked.

"The odds are pretty big," Issei said. "It took Xen-chan, but it left Kiba alive. Without Kiba, we wouldn't even know for sure this thing was behind it. And we wouldn't know about the paralysis poison either. So it's clearly not thinking things through."

"So it's just moving impulsively?"

"I think so. Besides, does anyone have a different suggestion?"

A silence fell.

"Okay," Issei said. "We need to split up. Let's form groups of three."

He had done a quick count. There were twelve of them here, so they could make four groups. And given how strong that thing was, it wouldn't be smart to make smaller groups.

Issei ended up with Ruru-chan and the cute white haired Bishop from Sona, Hanakai Momo.

Asia gave them all directions and they ran into the forest.

* * *

"Enough chatting around," he said. "Let's get to work."

He gestured to two short haired girls. One with black hair and one with auburn hair.

Rooks, Xenovia could tell from the aura.

The girls took out knives and cut apart her clothes.

Xenovia did not resist.

"Hey, no fight?" the man complained. "Have you already given up, exorcist?"

She hadn't. She was simply waiting for an opportunity.

"Why don't you start praying?" the man asked. He smiled disgustingly again.

"Devils take damage if they pray," Xenovia said calmly.

With a final tug, her jersey was ripped apart. The remnants fell on the ground.

"And that stops you from praying? Tsk, what kind of believer are you?"

" _Former_  believer. I abandoned my faith entirely since joining Rias."

"You did  _what_?"

The tension in the room went up. The Rooks stopped cutting away her clothes. Which was actually a pretty good timing because they were just gonna start on her underwear and she preferred keeping that on.

The man turned to his Queen. His face was sheer anger now.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that?" Evelyn said. "When I-"

" _Silence_. I'll deal with you later."

He turned back to Xenovia. "And you." His hand grabbed her chin hard. "Why did you-"

Xenovia kicked him as hard as she could. She hit him right between his legs.

He let out a pathetic sound and fell on his knees while clutching his crotch with both hands.

Xenovia jumped and pulled on the chain. Her legs wrapped around the head of the black haired Rook and twisted hard. With a sickening crunch, her neck broke. The lifeless body fell down on the floor.

Xenovia landed back on her feet.

The final Rook tried to grab her, but she gave her a head butt, which hit her in the face. The Rook stumbled backwards. Her nose was bleeding heavily.

"Let's go,  _Durandal_."

With a blinding light, her Holy Sword appeared in her hands.

"Wait, no. Fuck."

She had tried to cut her chains by making the sword appear, but it was pointing a bit to the side instead of straight upwards.

A punch in her stomach made all the air vanish from her lungs. The sword slipped to her fingers and fell down on the floor with a loud clang.

Xenovia looked up.

Evelyn kicked Durandal aside, out of her reach.

The King was getting back on his feet as well.

"Karen? Karen-chan?"

The redhead Rook jostled her friend's body, but it was no use. The Rook was dead.

The King spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Let's play a new game," he said. "Give me a weapon."

The Queen took a knife from her belt and handed it to him.

Xenovia swallowed hard. This didn't look good.

* * *

"It's my fault," Issei said. "If I had gone training with her…"

"You would have been the one to get paralysed," Ruruko finished. "You couldn't have known she would be targeted."

"Yeah, maybe not."  
Until now, he had assumed the monster just had a sick preference for cute and innocent girls like Asia. Or maybe for blonde ones. But Xen-chan was clearly very different from Asia, so why was she suddenly targeted as well? The shadow hadn't been interested in Ruruko-chan when she battled it, even though she was a warrior like Xenovia.

Hanakai came running next to him.

"Thanks for helping us out, Hanakai-san," Issei said.

"I owe you an apology, Ise-senpai. This forest is part of our territory. Everything that happens here is our responsibility."

"Senpai?"

"Ah," she blushed deep red. It stood out even more due to her light skin and hair. "That's how Ruruko-chan always calls you, so I just…"

"It's okay. Can I call you Momo-chan then?"

"Sure."

He turned to Ruruko. "So, what kind of things are you discussing with her then?"

Ruruko blushed as well. "Nothing important."

[You need to go more to the left, Onii-chan, you're getting of course.]

"Roger that."

It wasn't easy to run in the forest. Even their devil eyes had trouble seeing well in a forest with only the stars to guide them. And they weren't on a path. Their legs constantly got caught in the undergrowth. There were cuts all over them by now.

He was getting more and more worried. A lot of time had already passed. And his guess that the shadow was still in the forest was just that: a guess. If Issei was wrong, they were just wasting their-

"What's that?" Momo-chan asked.

They stopped.

Issei frowned. He could feel something too, but it wasn't the shadow.

"I don't feel anything," Ruruko said.

He shushed her.

There was a weak pulsing aura, very distant. And very familiar, but he couldn't place it properly.

"Maybe it's one of the other teams," Momo-chan suggested.

Issei touched his ear. "Asia-chan? Is there someone… northeast of us?"

[No. But there is  _something_ over there. A few kilometers away.]

"What?"

[There's a little church over there according to the map. It's at the edge of the forest.]

Issei's eyes widened. "Of course. Guide us there."

He started running, much faster than before.

"Hey, wait."

The two girls ran after him.

"What have you realised?" Ruru-chan asked when she caught up with him.

"What's the one thing Asia and Xen-chan have in common?" Issei asked.

"I don't know, not much."

"They are both church girls. That thing is targeting believers."

"But Xenovia completely abandoned her religion," Ruruko said.

"Why do you think I'm running so fast? What will happen if that thing finds out?"

"We better start flying then," Momo-chan said.

"Yeah, good idea."

They spread their wings and jumped up.

Momo-chan was a very fast flyer. Must be because she's a Bishop who uses demonic powers all the time.

The signal became clearer. Issei could now tell what it was. It wasn't the shadow. No, this was Durandal.

He signaled Asia. "Send everyone else here as well. I think we found her."

[Okay.]

Their target came in sight. Asia was right, there was a church at the edge of this forest. Not a very big one though.

The building was in reasonably good shape given its age. The roof had holes in it, but the door and walls were still standing strong, and the colored glass was still in the windows.

They landed in front of the door. Issei pushed, but it wouldn't bulge.

"Barrier," he said. "Fuck."

"Move aside," Momo-chan said. She raised her hand.

Her determined look made Issei move aside.

"Applause Wall."

Two silver bracelet appeared on her wrists.

A Sacred Gear?

A beam of white light shot forward from her hands.

There was a sound of glass shattering.

"Go ahead, Ruruko-chan," the Bishop said.

"Promotion,  _Rook_."

Green aura appeared around her.

When she kicked the door, a crack appeared in the wood. A few more kicks reduced it to splinters.

They entered the building.

His eyes widened.

"Xen-chan," he yelled.

Things weren't looking good. Xenovia was tied to the ceiling with a set of chains from her wrists. She only wore her blue underwear, the rest of her clothes were cut to shreds. All over her body were knife cuts dripping fresh blood. She was hanging limp in the chains and did not respond when Issei entered.

"Deal with them," an annoyed male voice said.

Four girls approached them. All of them wore skin tight black suits that covered everything except their heads. The man had the same uniform on, but he had tentacles on his back as well.

"Promotion, Knight."

Issei summoned his lightswords.

"I'll take him," a white haired girl said. "Amy, you take twin tails."

"Kay."

"You'll be okay, Momo-chan?" Issei asked. She was the only one with two opponents.

"Focus on your own fight, Ise-senpai."

Issei decided to quickly deal with his opponent so he could help out Momo-chan.

He ran towards the girl. However, this turned out to be a mistake.

The girl lifted her hand. Fire surged out of it.

"Woah."

Issei sidestepped.

Hm, a fire user. That was annoying.

He tried to close the distance, but the girl kept sending fire at him so he was forced to avoid them constantly. She was good. Really good.

A normal mage user would need way more time to recover, but she send fire at him basically without effort. And the fire was strong because all the chairs that were in the way got burned to ashes instantly.

From the corner of his eye, he saw the others didn't have it easy either.

The man was watching them without lifting a finger.

Issei's eye fell onto something.

An idea formed in his mind.

He started dancing around his opponent. Occasionally he would swing, but they were clumsy strikes. Usually she wasn't even within range of his blades.

"Pathetic," the girl said. "I expected more from an exorcist."

"Ise-senpai," Ruruko said. "Just kill her."

"But… she's a hot girl. I can't hurt her."

In his distraction, the Queen hit him with her magic.

The fire send him flying backwards a few steps. His swords fell out of his hands and flickered out.

The girl calmly stepped towards him. "Any last words?"

"Watch your surroundings."

Issei picked up the weapon behind him.

"What the…" the girl's eyes widened. She stepped back in fear. "Y-You can't use Durandal."

"I'll give you one chance to surrender," he said. "This thing will kill you in one strike."

He tried to keep the sword steady. Even Xenovia had trouble controlling it fully, so for him it was even more difficult. He could barely hold it up.

The other fights stopped. The girls all looked at what was obviously their Queen.

"I…" the Queen hesitated.

"Are you crazy?" the man yelled. "Kill him,  _now_."

Before the girl could make a decision, there was a buzzing sound.

A bowstring?

The man fell to his knees. A black arrow had found its way into his chest.

Issei turned to the doorway. Asia stood in it, her bow still in her hand. She was breathing heavily.

"Y-You." The man coughed up blood. His lungs were pierced by the arrow. A bit more and he'd drown in his own blood.

One of his tentacles surged forward, but Issei lifted Durandal and cut it off.

The man screamed.

Issei lowered his weapon again. That swing had taken a disturbing amount of stamina.

Asia closed the distance and looked at the man.

"Onii-chan," she asked. "Will you please kill him for me?"

"What?"

"Please?"

"Okay."

If anything, it was a mercy. If he left the man, he'd drown in his own blood. And with Xenovia heavily wounded, Issei was not about to waste his stamina on saving an enemy. He would need everything he got to stop her from bleeding.

Issei put Durandal aside and picked up the knife the man had dropped.

"You little-"

He slit his throat.

Blood splashed out all over his arms.

Issei felt a burning sensation. Another power was being added to his arsenal.

The black vanished from both the man and from his peerage.

He dropped down on the floor, clearly dead.

There was another body as well, but Issei had no time for that now.

He approached Xen-chan.

She was still alive, but only barely.

"Promotion, Bishop."

His Twilight Healing echo appeared.

He got to work, but there were a lot of cuts. And some of them were very deep.

Issei cursed. He wasn't going to make it in time like this.

A second green aura lit up next to him.

"Asia? Your bracelet. You took it off."

"I am angry," she said. "I'm just directing it at someone else."

"You know that man?"

"She's losing too much blood, Onii-chan," Asia said.

"I know. But-"

"Out of my way," Momo-chan said.

He looked at her. She had picked up the knife and was now cutting open her palm.

"Momo-chan, what are you…"

White light came from her hand. Her blood floated out and entered one of Xenovia's wounds.

A blood transfusion?

"I'm O negative," she said. "Don't worry. Keep healing her."

More sounds came from outside. Kiba entered, along with Koneko-chan and a Sitri Knight.

"Are we on time?" Koneko-chan asked.

"Fight is over," Issei said. He continued healing Xenovia. "Sorry you missed it. You can tell the others to calm down. We found her."

"Who are they?" she asked.

"Peerage members of that guy." He pointed to the dead body.

Needless to say, the peerage had stopped fighting once their King died.

"What are we gonna do with them?" Koneko asked.

"Please don't kill us," the Rook said. She crawled towards him. "I'll do anything-"

"Shh, calm down. No one is gonna kill you." Issei crouched down. "What's your name girl?"

"Amy?"

"Just Amy?"

"I… that's the name I was given by my King. I don't remember my real name."

He noticed she was clutching her knee. She probably couldn't stand up even if she wanted to.

"Does it hurt?"

The girl seemed too frightened to reply.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He reached out and used his healing aura. A broken kneecap. Ruruko was very strong.

The girl was frightened at first, but then realised he was healing her.

"T-Thanks."

"You," the Queen said. "I know you."

Asia frowned. "Evelyn?"

The Queen nodded. "And you're Asia Argento, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"This man," she pointed to Issei. "Who is he?"

"Hyoudou Issei, Rias Gremory's Pawn."

"What is he to you?"

Asia hesitated. "Everything."

Evelyn nodded. "I see. That settles it then."

She walked to Issei.

In front of him, she went down on one knee.

"Will you please accept us, Hyoudou Issei?"

"What?"

"Our King is dead," she explained. "We need a new King. You killed him and Asia Argento trusts you completely. You're a suitable candidate to become our new Master."

"Hey, hold on a sec."

"If you don't accept, then please just kill us. We can't live without a Master."

"E-Evelyn," Amy protested.

Issei grabbed her collar and forced her up.

"You said  _us_  didn't you? Accept  _our_  submission, kill  _us_. So you presume you can decide for them?"

"I-I'm their Queen."

"The authority of the Queen comes from the King. Your King is dead. They are all free at this point. You don't decide anything for them."

"My apologies. Force of habit. Please kill just me then. They have nothing to do with this."

"I didn't say I rejected your offer."

He put her down.

More people entered. He spotted Rias entering.

"It's getting crowded here," Ruruko said.

"Onii-chan," Asia said. "We need to bring Xenovia somewhere safe. She needs to rest and I need to check her deeper wounds."

"I'll come with you."

"What about us?" Evelyn asked.

"Not for me to decide. You're trespassing in Sitri territory and you attacked a peerage member of Rias. Your fate is in their hands now, I'm just a Pawn here."

He found a key on the dead body of the man and used it to unlock Xenovia's chains. Then, he took her into his arms and stepped in the circle Asia had prepared.

The circle activated.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Issei asked. They were in his living room.

"Yep. All the poison is gone from her body," Azazel said.

"But how is that possible?"

"I have a guess," he said. "When your power ran rampant, you managed to absorb the excess power in your Evil Piece."

"You think her Evil Piece somehow took in the poison?"

"Evil Pieces are not so different from Sacred Gears. They respond to emotion. Especially when the user has a Sacred Gear as well."

"So they work in tandem basically?"

"Something like that. Evil Pieces are not well studied. We have no idea what their full capacities are. But the results speak for themselves. No trace of poison. Either her Sacred Gear healed it somehow, or her Evil Piece sucked it up."

"That's a relief."

"It doesn't mean there won't be a change though. Asia-chan must have gone through great emotional turmoil to achieve this. Only really strong emotions and will could have triggered this."

"She's healing Xen-chan now. I'll talk to her when she's done."

"Will she be alright?"

"Momo-chan restored her blood loss somewhat. She should make it."

"Good."

Someone entered.

"Ruru-chan."

"Azazel-sensei," she asked. "Can we talk? In private."

"Sure."

"Are you okay Ruru-chan?" Issei asked. "It's not like you to keep secrets from me."

"I'm fine. There's just some things I want to discuss. I'll tell you all about it later, don't worry. Besides, Rias-senpai wants to talk to you. She's waiting in the training hall."

"Okay then."

Issei went out and took the elevator down to the training hall.

He went through the door at the back. Next to the training hall was an area with a bar and chairs to rest after your training. There was also a door leading to a few showers.

"Ah, there you are," Rias said. "Have a seat."

Rias sat on one couch with Sona-senpai next to her. Opposite of her sat the Queen, Evelyn, who looked down at the floor permanently. And Rias was pointing to the spot right next to her.

Hesitantly Issei sat down. The couch was designed for only two people, so their legs touched when he was seated.

Evelyn did not acknowledge him.

"You must have a whole bunch of questions," Rias said. "But wait until we are done explaining please."

"Okay."

"The devil you killed is called Diodora Astaroth, heir to the Astaroth clan. He's related to Ajuka Beelzebub, one of the current maous."

Issei swallowed hard. That didn't sound good.

"Rias, I-"

She raised her hand. "No questions. Just listen to me."

"O-Okay."

"Diodora was being watched closely by the higher ups of the Underworld. There were suspicions of treason. In particular, a certain name showed up in his file."

"William."

"Exactly. His Queen spilled everything she knew. Diodora was approached by someone connected to William. He was tasked with kidnapping Asia and bringing her to him. In exchange, he was granted a special Sacred Gear: Eternal Darkness." She paused for a second. "There is little known about what it can do. Even to his Queen he did not disclose its capacities. But he used it to kill the people tasked with observing him and then he vanished without a trace."

"But why would they want Asia?" Issei asked. He was unable to stop himself.

It was Sona who answered. "We don't know for sure, but…"

"We suspect they are after you," Rias finished.

"Me?"

"You ran into the forest to save Xenovia. You'd do the same for Asia. I think they hoped that by taking Asia, they could capture you."

"What would they want with me?"

Rias raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Right, Bloodbound, of course." Anyone would want a power like that.

"The higher ups are very impressed with you," Rias said. "Oni- uhum, Sirzechs-sama wants to meet with you personally."

"Your brother?"

She turned red. "Yes, Maou Lucifer."

"Wow."

"He'll come to Kuoh Town next week."

"Okay."

That was weird. So the Maou himself wanted to meet with him? He didn't know that much about devil society, but it sounded like a big deal.

"Don't worry," Rias said. "I think he just wants to give you a proper reward for your hard work. You've killed an important traitor and you've given us new leads to follow with the confession of his Queen. And you've taken out a dangerous Sacred Gear. Which Azazel wishes to study by the way. That's why he got here so fast."

"I figured he had some ulterior motives," Issei said.

Even so, Azazel had been a big help.

"What will happen to her?" Issei asked, nodding to the Queen next to him.

It was strange to talk about her when she was sitting right next to him. Even when they talked about her, she didn't look up.

"Well, officially speaking they are all dead."

"What?"

"We want to keep things silent, so according to the official story, Diodora and his peerage all died in a fire at one of their houses. It's already been taken care off. One of his villas in France has been burned down."

"And where will they go now?"

"Well, someone had a suggestion. They'd be safe there and we would have someone to keep an eye on them. But…"

"My answer is still the same," Evelyn said suddenly. She still didn't look up.

"She wants to talk with you," Rias said.

"Okay. That's fine."

"I'll leave you to it," Rias said. She turned to the Queen. "Just remember that you don't have much options. We can't allow you to go to the Underworld. And we can't leave you alone either."

"I know that."

The two Kings left them.

It was silent for a moment.

"Where are the others?" Issei asked.

"Taking a shower. They are avoiding me."

"Why?"

"With Diodora dead, they don't know what to do. They don't know whether…"

She stopped talking, clearly lost in thoughts.

"Look," Issei said. "Why don't you tell me your story?"

"All of it?"

"I got time."

Evelyn took a deep breath. "Diodora's entire peerage consists of former sisters and Holy Maidens. He gets them expelled from the church, comes in to 'save' them and then repeatedly rapes and tortures them until they break."

"That's sick."

"He loves hearing them pray for God while he rapes them."

"Hm. And what about you?" Somehow, he felt like this Queen was different from the others. Otherwise they wouldn't avoid her.

"My circumstances were a bit different. You see, Diodora only cares about believers. He likes to break their fate while raping them. To make them realise God won't come save them. To see all hope vanish from their eyes. And then he tells them they are his slave now and he is their new God. And if they behave, they will be rewarded, if they don't, they'll be punished. They are completely devoted to him."

A good thing he had killed that monster. "But you are different you said?"

"Well, when he got me expelled from the church, my faith broke. I cursed God and all of them for casting me out even though I did nothing wrong. My faith was never very strong. I…" She stopped talking. Issei saw her wiping away tears.

"Hold on." He went to the bar and filled a glass of water.

"Here you go." He handed it to her.

"Thanks." Her voice croaked a bit.

"You're gonna have to keep talking I'm afraid," he said. "I need to know all of it."

"Of course." She drank deep. "W-When Diodora found out, he was livid. H-He… hold on I'll show you."

She stood up and lifted her dress high.

All across her belly were scars. Knife marks. He must have done the same he had done with Xenovia.

"He lost all control. He kept stabbing away until I died and even then he kept stabbing."

"How did you come back then?"

"When he was done, he realised his mistake. You see, he had observed me from a distance and seen me saying prayers, but it was all for show. I wasn't a  _real_  believer, I just kinda went along with everyone else. I had nowhere else to go after all. He realised there was no way to tell from a distance which girls were true believers and which ones were only loose believers or were just pretending."

"I see." He had a hunch where this was going.

"So he decided to resurrect me as his Queen. As a former sister, I had to infiltrate for him and talk to his targets. I had to learn whether they were true believers or not. I had to assist him in torturing and breaking them as well."

"Your scene at the church," Issei said. "Why did you do that?"

"I…" she hesitated. "Do you promise you won't get angry?"

"Look, given your situations, you're not in a position to make demands. If I tell Rias you were not a victim like the others-"

"I had no choice," she argued. "Diodora made me."

"You could have escaped. You could have warned someone."

"You don't understand. I had no choice. If I displeased him, he… he would-"

"Did you tell Rias that? Did you tell her you helped him in torturing the girls?"

"N-No. I was scared she would…"

Evelyn broke down and started crying.

"Shh. It's okay." He put her arm around her.

"If she finds out she'll kill me."

"She won't find out," he assured her.

"But you said-"

"I won't tell her," he promised. "But you have to tell me  _everything_."

H felt a bit bad about using this tactics, but he reasoned it was needed. He had to know if he could trust her.

"O-Okay then."

Evelyn sat back up and regained her composure.

"I… I wanted to convince Asia I was a slave as well. That I was a victim."

"So Asia was his next target then?"

"Yes. But a bunch of fallen angels appeared and took her in before he could get her. We lost track of her until William's agent gave us your address."

"And you were afraid that Asia would realise you were his assistant? And kill you as well?"

"He got her expelled by injuring himself and letting her heal him. When she saw him, Asia pieced it together quickly. I had to do something. If she knew I was…"

"You have to tell her the truth."

"N-No, I can't."

"It's up to Asia to decide if she forgives you. But I'm sure she'll understand your situation. You were coerced."

"And what if she doesn't forgive me?"

"You know what happens then. You accept your fate."

A door opened.

Three girls came from the shower. Their hair was still wet and they were dressed in old sister robes that didn't fit completely. Probably old clothes from Asia.

Evelyn stood up.

One of the Bishops stepped forward.

"We uhm… we talked."

"And?" Evelyn asked.

"We understand that you had no choice, but…"

"You bring back bad memories," the small Rook said.

Evelyn nodded. "I understand."

With Diodora dead, their trance was broken.

"So, we would like to take Rias Gremory up on her offer and go to the safe house," the Bishop said. "But… without you."

"And what about the others?" Evelyn asked. "The rest of the peerage?"

"You know where they are."

"No, I don't. Diodora send them somewhere, but he didn't tell me where or for what."

"Then there's nothing we can do for them," the Bishop concluded. "If you find them, you can send them to us and we'll take care of them. It's every girl for themselves now."

"I'll see what I can do," the Queen said. "Take good care of them okay? Especially Amy."

"I will."

The girls hugged.

Issei wasn't sure he understood the emotions behind that hug.

Evelyn said goodbye to the other two as well.

Then, the Bishop took Amy's hand and guided her to the door.

In the doorway, the little Rook turned.

"Amy?"

"Hold on."

She ran back to Issei.

"Will you take good care of her, Onii-chan?" she asked.

"Uhm, of course."

"Thanks."

She ran back to the Bishops.

Issei had never seen anything as strange as this.

The girls left, leaving him alone with Evelyn.

Evelyn sighed. "Well, at least they will be safe."

He didn't know where they were going, but he trusted Rias when she said it was somewhere safe.

"Where will you go now?" he asked Evelyn.

"I don't know. There is nowhere I can go."

"Hm. I may have an idea."

He had only fought her briefly, but it was clear she was a strong fighter. He could use someone like her.

"You do?"

"If Asia agrees, then maybe… you could stay here?"

" _Here_?"

"Asia already stays here. We could just pretend you're a foreign exchange student who stays here as well. Just change your clothes and maybe your hair as well and no one will ever notice. Besides, there's no one here who could recognise you."

"I can't," she said. "I'd feel bad about staying here for free."

"No one says you have to do it for free. You can help around with some things."

"Hm. Do you have work I could do?"

He chuckled. "Do I have work for you? Let's see. Someone needs to upgrade the security of this house. We have a barrier, but in a real attack it won't last long. I also need a training partner to practice magic with. And after today, it's clear everyone around me is in danger, and I can't always be there for them, so I could use a bodyguard for that. And if you get bored of all that, my mom has plenty of housework. It's a mess to clean a house this big."

"Plenty of work then."

"Oh and I need someone to make tea. Asia and Ruruko are really bad at that. Don't tell them do."

She smiled brightly. "Making tea is the specialty of a Queen."

"Okay. I'm gonna check if Asia is done healing Xen-chan. You wait here okay?"

"Of course, Is-… Hyou-… H-How should I call you?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well the general consensus seems to be Ise-senpai."

"Can I…" she blushed heavily. "I heard Asia-chan call you 'onii-chan'."

"Yeah, well, she's a bit…"

Evelyn played with her fingers. "Would you mind if I called you Nii-san?"

"Uhm, sure," Issei said. "But then I'm calling you Eve-chan."

She blushed even harder. "A-As you wish."

"Anyway, wait here for a bit, Eve-chan."

"Okay, Nii-san."

He walked to the elevator.

Things were getting stranger by the minute.

Issei went up to the guest room. He knocked and entered.

Xen-chan was sleeping on the bed. A blanket was put over her.

Asia was on the bed as well, sleeping curled up in one of the corners. The bed was very big, so they didn't touch.

Issei walked up to her and gently shook her awake.

"Onii-chan?" She yawned. "Sorry, I fell asleep."

"You can keep sleeping soon, but I have something urgent to discuss with you now."

"Okay."

Asia got up. She followed him to the elevator.

"How is she?" Issei asked.

"She needs to rest. I've closed all her wounds, so there is nothing more we can do."

"And how are you?"

"Tired."

"That's not what I meant."

"Can we talk tomorrow? I'm tired."

"Yeah, sure. Unfortunately this other thing can't wait."

He wanted to resolve this tonight. Evelyn needed a place to go and he wanted to ask Asia first.

They got out of the elevator and entered the lounge behind the training room.

"Evelyn," Asia said.

"Hey, Asia-chan."

"Where is the rest of your peerage? What did Rias do?"

"Don't worry. They are somewhere safe. But I can't go with them."

"Why not?"

"Well… it's maybe best if you sit down."

Frowning, Asia sat down on the couch. Issei sat down next to her and held her hand.

Evelyn told the same story she had just told Issei.

"I see," Asia said when she was done.

"You're surprisingly calm," Evelyn said slowly.

"If you say he forced you, I believe you. I know you, Evelyn. You would never do this on your own."

"Even so. I could have tried stopping him."

Issei frowned. Why was Evelyn blaming herself?

"You would have died if you tried that," Asia said. "I don't blame you for trying to survive."

"But… it's my fault you were expelled from the church."

"Yes. And I would like to thank you for that."

"Y-You what?"

"Without that, I would have never met Ise-senpai. I've never been happier in my entire life. When I said he's everything to me, I wasn't exaggerating."

"But you were taken in by the fallen angels first. That can't have been easy."

"I don't care about any of that. The only thing that matters to me is that I'm sitting right here, next to Onii-chan."

"I see," Evelyn said. "Do you still believe in God, Asia?"

"Ise-senpai is my religion now. I believe in him."

"Yeah. I think I can understand that. He's a very special person."

"I'm not special," Issei insisted.

"You're too modest," Asia said. "You killed a high class devil, that's not something a normal Pawn could do."

"It was just luck. Without Durandal, I couldn't have done it."

"You would have figured it out."

He shrugged. Sometimes he felt like a fraud. Sure, he had accomplished a lot, but if someone else would have gotten Bloodbound, would they have done the same? Wasn't he simply doing what anyone else would have done in his position? Accomplishing things wasn't difficult when you had an insane power like his at your disposal.

"Anyway," Evelyn said. "Nii-san said I could stay here if you were fine with it."

Asia turned to him. "Ye, Onii-chan. Adding another girl to your harem?"

"You're seeing it all wrong," he said. "She had no other place to go, so I just…"

"Harem?" Evelyn said. She cocked her head to the side.

"Oh, you haven't told her yet?" Asia said.

"I haven't gotten the chance yet," he evaded.

"Oh," Evelyn said. "I see. Sorry, Nii-san, I should have seen it earlier."

She stood up.

"Eve-chan?"

The Queen started undressing.

"I've never done it before," she said. "So please go easy on me."

"You don't have to-"

"Of course I do," she said. "You've done so much for me already. You saved me from Diodora, you let me talk to Asia, you forgave me for all my sins and you've given me a home. I have to do something I return. And what else can I do but this?" She reached back and undid her bra. "It's clear this is what you desire most of all. Sorry I didn't see it earlier."

"Asia." He turned to her, annoyed.

"What?" Asia said. "She's completely your type. I know you want her."

He turned red. "Well, that… that's not the point Asia!"

Evelyn pulled down her panties and stepped out of them.

He couldn't help but stare at her body.

Evelyn looked a lot like Asia now that he saw her like this.

Her hair was the same length, except light grey instead of blonde and with two jeweled clippers behind her ears to keep it in place. Her aura was warm green, just like Asia's. Their height was basically identical as well.

Evelyn's chest was moderate sized and it was clear she was very self-conscious of that. It was a size bigger though.

The Queen partly hid her perky breasts behind her arms. That shyness was familiar as well. This was a former church girl, that much was clear.

"Unfortunately I have no personal experience," Evelyn said. "Diodora was not interested in r-raping me. I had no faith to break after all."

Strange. Despite that claim, she was clean shaven between her legs. If Diodora wasn't interested in her, then why would she bother with that?

"A-Anyway," she continued. "I've watched Diodora do it plenty of times, so I'll use that as a basis. Please correct me if I'm doing something wrong."

"Evelyn, no, Eve-chan," Issei said, he stood up. "We don't have to do this now, do we? I'm really tired from the fight, surely this can wait until tomorrow."

"Oh, of course. I did not consider the timing."

"Get dressed again and then I'll see if I can find a room for you."

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked.

"Well, that…"

"You said you needed a bodyguard before. I could never forgive myself if something happened to you or Asia-chan. I need to be there to protect you. I'm not super strong, but I could buy some time in case of an attack, I think."

"Okay then. You can sleep with me as well," Issei said.

This was a strange development. But then again, Evelyn had been with Diodora for super long. It was likely no one had ever showed her any genuine kindness. She naturally assumed anyone who did something for her wanted something in return and if she didn't give it to them, they would stop helping her. Evelyn probably thought he wanted her all along and would throw her out of the house if she denied him.

He wanted to explain to her he would never do that, but… well, Evelyn was super hot. He couldn't possible waste this chance. At the very least he had to touch those boobs for a bit.

"Looks like your bed is getting crowded, Onii-chan," Asia said.

When Evelyn was finished getting dressed again, they went to the hallway and pressed the button for the elevator.

The elevator came down and opened its doors. Someone else was already in it.

"Ah, Senpai," Ruru-chan said. "I was just looking for you. Wait, why is she still here?"

"New harem member," Asia said casually. She stepped into the elevator

"What? Since when?"

"Five minutes ago."

Issei and Evelyn entered as well.

Ruruko threw him a glare.

"Look, it all happened pretty fast," Issei said. "She had no place to go so I told her she could stay here and… things got out of hand."

"You could have told me."

"I'm telling you now."

" _After_  it happened," she complained.

"As opposed to you and Azazel?"

She turned red. "That's different."

"Well you didn't ask my approval, did you?"

She frowned. "So you know what I'm planning?"

"Of course I know. It's pretty obvious."

Actually he didn't know. But he figured it might be smart to make her think she couldn't keep secrets from him.

She said nothing until they were out of the elevator.

"Well if you knew then-"

"Uhm," Evelyn interjected. "I can leave if I'm a bother. I-I'll find another place, it's no-"

"No," Asia said. "You're staying here."

She glared at Ruruko.

"How is this my fault?" Ruruko complained.

"I don't know what you're so angry about, Ruruko-chan," Asia said calmly. "When you became his girlfriend, you accepted he would get a harem. You agreed to this arrangement. Onii-chan told you as quickly as he could. It's a bit unexpected, but he did nothing wrong."

"But…"

"It's a notification, not a request," Asia continued. "If you could decline, then he wouldn't be allowed to have a harem, would he?"

"I know."

"If you can't handle this, you shouldn't be here, Ruruko-chan."

Ruruko sighed. "Sorry. I just… I guess I sort of hoped it would be just the two of us."

"Even so, you told him he could have a harem, so don't get angry if he does it."

"Okay okay. I'm sorry. Let's just start over."

She turned to Evelyn and cleared her throat.

"I'm Nimura Ruruko," she said. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Evelyn. Please take care of me."

They shook hands.

"That's settled then."

Issei opened the door of his room.

"I'll show Eve-chan the bathroom," Asia said.

"Okay."

He entered with Ruruko.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

"No, no. I should have asked you first."

"Even if I can't refuse?" She got undressed.

"Yes. It shows I care about your opinion even if I make the decision in the end."

"If you say it happened fast, I believe you." She turned to him so he could unhook her bra.

"Do you think I'm taking advantage of the situation?"

Ruruko smiled. "I think she's pretty hot and you'd be an idiot for not taking advantage of her."

"You make it sound bad."

Ruruko shrugged. "I don't know much about what happened. But somehow, I get the feeling she'll be better of with you compared to that other guy."

"Oh, certainly."

"What's the problem then? Even if you take advantage of her, it's still an improvement for her."

She put on a purple babydoll.

"I guess so."

"Now, you can keep worrying, I'm gonna brush my teeth."

She left him.

Asia and Evelyn returned.

"What would you like us to wear, Onii-chan?" Asia asked.

He handed them what he had picked out.

They got changed right in front of him.

"Somehow, this is more embarrassing than being naked," Eve said. She pulled on the edges of her light green nightgown. It hardly covered her thighs.

"That's why you're wearing it," Asia said. She had the same one in red. Both were very translucent. And they didn't have bras on beneath them.

Issei felt a strong urge to take both of them right here, but he resisted it. There was plenty of time for that tomorrow. They were all tired right now.

"I'm going to the bathroom," he quickly said.

He waited outside until Ruruko was done and then entered.

When he returned, he found all three girls waiting for him.

"Okay? Everyone done?"

They all nodded.

"Let's go to bed then."

Issei got undressed until he only wore his boxers and then climbed into his bed.

As usual, Asia got on one side and Ruruko on the other. They both embraced him.

Evelyn hesitated.

"Oh, sorry," Asia said.

"I can just-"

"No, no. I've got an idea."

Asia shifted and got right on top of Issei.

"Ye, Asia."

"Is this uncomfortable?" she asked.

"No, it's fine." Asia was very light, so it was no problem if she lied down on his chest.

Evelyn got on the spot Asia had vacated and shrugged closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her like he had done with Ruruko. Her chest pressed against him. She was clearly bigger than Ruruko and Asia.

"Something wrong, Senpai?" Ruru-chan asked.

"I'm just thinking about what will happen if I get another girl."

"Then you'll have to do a rotation," Ruruko said.

"I can imagine the drama already."

"You're the very definition of first world problems, Senpai," she said.

"My struggles may not be common, but they are real."

"You two can keep bantering," Asia said. "I'm gonna sleep."

She shifted a bit up so she could kiss Issei goodnight.

"Goodnight, Onii-chan."

"Sleep tight, Asia-chan."

Asia put her head down on his chest.

He turned to Ruruko to kiss her goodnight as well.

"Sweet dreams, Ise-senpai."

"You too, Ruru-chan."

Ruruko put her head down as well and closed her eyes.

"Nii-san."

Issei turned his head to Evelyn.

"You want a goodnight kiss as well?"

"Well," she blushed heavily. "Yes."

"Go ahead then. I'm a bit… well it's difficult to move much."

Evelyn leaned over and gave him a very short peck on his lips.

"Sweet dreams, Nii-san. And thank you, for everything."

"Goodnight, Eve-chan."

He closed his eyes.

His dreams had a hard time living up to reality.


	9. Chapter 8: Distant Memories

Issei opened his eyes.

“Good morning Senpai.”

“Hey, Onii-chan.”

Issei yawned. “Morning, beautiful.”

“Which one are you referring to?” Asia asked.

“Both, obviously.”

She smiled.

Issei pushed himself upright. “Where is Eve-chan? And what time is it?”

“Evelyn is taking a shower,” Asia said. “And it’s almost eleven o’ clock.”

“We don’t have school?”

“Given the circumstances, we are given today off. Rias told me yesterday.”

“I see.”

“I’m not yet awake, Senpai,” Ruruko said. “You’re gonna have to wake me up.”

She pressed her chest against him.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” he asked, feigning obliviousness.

“Well,” she reached out and touched him over his boxers. “I’m sure you can come up with something.”

“What about me, Senpai?” Asia asked.

“Well I can’t do you both at the same time, can I?”

“You can go first, Asia-chan,” Ruru-chan said. “We have plenty of time.”

“Thanks.”

She took off his boxers and went down on him.

Issei leaned back against his pillow with a satisfied smile.

Ruruko shrugged closer to him. “That’s the proper way to wake up, isn’t it?”

“There is something missing.” His fingers grazed past her chest.

She chuckled. “So demanding.”

He pulled down the straps of her nightgown to release her breasts.

Ruruko moaned when he fondled them.

She leaned in for a kiss, which quickly turned into a tongue-kiss.

Meanwhile, Asia was dutifully sucking away. She was becoming quite the expert at this.

With everything that was going on, they hadn’t done it a lot lately. As such, he didn’t last long.

“Asia,” he warned her.

She redoubled her efforts.

He cursed under his breath and finished in her mouth.

Asia yelped in surprise, but she took it all in without spilling a drop. This wasn’t her first time anymore.

“Don’t be selfish, Asia-chan,” he said. “I want you to share with Ruruko-chan.”

“Uhu.”

Asia came back up. Ruruko sat up on her knees as well.

They kissed right in front of him. He saw their tongues dancing back and forth. They had a playful fight to get as much of his cum in their mouth as possible. It was pretty interesting to watch.

After a while, they broke off the kiss and both swallowed.

“That was a lot,” Asia said. “You completely filled my mouth.”   
“Well it had to be enough to satisfy both of you.”

“Ye, Senpai,” Ruruko said. “I’m not nearly satisfied yet. It’s my turn now.”

“Hold on. Give me a minute to recover please.”

“You just saw us making out, isn’t that enough to get you hard again?”

“Well that could hardly be called making out,” he argued. “You didn’t even touch her boobs. Hell Asia’s breasts are still covered.”

“You’re right,” Asia said. “We can do better than that.”

She took off her nightgown.

They kissed again. This time, their hands reached out to touch each others chest. Soft moans escaped their lips.

“Is this making you hard again?” Ruruko teased him.

“Maybe. Keep going and you’ll find out.”

They continued making out for a few minutes. Just as Ruruko was slipping her hand inside Asia’s panties, the door suddenly opened. 

“Asia-chan, do you have…”

Evelyn’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t even notice the towel she had wrapped around herself was starting to get loose. 

The girls stopped kissing. Both were panting.

“I’m so sorry,” Eve-chan said. She was blushing heavily. “I…”

She turned around.

“Stay,” Asia said.

“But…” 

Asia stood upright. “Look, you’re gonna have to get used to this sight.” She put her hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.

“I-I didn’t know you were into girls, Asia-chan.” Her eyes darted to Asia’s chest.

“Not really. But Onii-chan likes watching us play.”

Evelyn blushed even harder. “So perverted,” she mumbled.

“He might ask you to join in,” Asia said. “So you better get used to this.”

“But Asia, I’m…” she dropped her voice to a whisper. “I’m a virgin.”

“Me too.”

“What?”

“We didn’t have real sex,” Asia explained. “Yet. I just, go down on him a little.”

“You’re overwhelming her, Asia,” Issei said.

“No, Asia is right,” Evelyn said. “If you want me to join in, then…” she swallowed hard. “Then I-”

“For now I just want you to watch, okay?”

He heard her sigh in relief. “Okay.”

Evelyn fixed her towel and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Now, Asia-chan,” Ruruko said. “Where were we?”

Asia pushed her down on her back and got on top of her.

“Wow, so rough.”

Asia claimed her lips again and started making out, harder this time.

Evelyn watched them with a strange fascination on her face.

“I thought you’ve seen Diodora have sex plenty of times?” Issei asked.

“Yes, but, there wasn’t much kissing involved,” she said. “Or seduction. He just bend them over and fucked them while they screamed in pain.”

“No foreplay?”

“Nothing. He liked going in dry. Said it hurt more for them that way,” she said. “Can we talk about something else please?”

“Sorry. Just focus on watching us okay?”

“Thanks.”

Ruruko and Asia finished making out.

“Was that satisfying to you, Senpai?” Ruruko asked.

“That was beautiful, Ruru-chan.”

She blushed. “Thanks, Senpai.”

Ruru-chan reached out and wrapped her hand around his dick. “Seems like it helped too. You’re getting hard again.”

“Not completely,” he said.

“I can take care of that.”

Ruruko reached down to suck him. It wasn’t long before he was fully hard again.

“Shall I continue?” she asked. “Or do you want me another way?”

Issei leaned back against his pillow. “Get on top of me.”

“Gladly.”

She took off her panties and got on top of him in cowgirl position. 

He knew Ruruko loved riding him.

It slid in smoothly.

“Ye, you’re dripping wet,” he commented. “Was making out with Asia-chan that fun?”

“N-No,” Ruruko said. “It’s because I sucked you off. And from watching Asia do it before. I only made out with Asia-chan because you asked me to. It doesn’t get me wet at all.”

“Still not honest about your desires, Ruruko-chan?” Asia said.

“I only love Senpai,” she insisted. “I’m completely straight.”

“Well I am gonna be honest about my desires,” Asia said. She turned to Issei. “I want you inside of me.”

Wow. “Asia, you…”

“I want you to take my virginity.”

“Asia.” Ruruko stopped her movements.

“Hey, who told you to stop?”

“Sorry Senpai.” She started again, much slower this time.

He turned back to Asia. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, Onii-chan. We’ve waited long enough, I’m ready for you. I’m ready to give you everything.”

“Okay then. Sorry Ruru-chan.”

“Fine fine,” Ruruko said. “But you’re finishing this another time. I’m far from satisfied.”

“You’re never satisfied.”

“Looks who's talking. Isn’t one orgasm enough?”

“Is one girlfriend enough?” he bounced back.

“Just because you have two…” she looked at Evelyn. “Three girlfriends doesn’t mean you should brag about it.”

“What’s the point of having them if I can’t brag about it?”

“Unbelievable.”

She got off him.

Evelyn kept watching, completely fascinated by this development.

“Come here, Asia,” he said.

She took off her panties and laid down next to him.

“Like this?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

He wrapped his arm around her. They were spooning now.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready when you are, Onii-chan.”

“Hey,” Ruruko said. “That’s not fair. You made me beg for it.”

“Yeah, that was fun,” he said.

“So unfair,” she pouted.

“Can I focus on Asia-chan now? Or do I have to send you outside?”

“No no, I want to watch.” She sat down on her knees next to Evelyn. “Please, go ahead.”

He turned to Asia. “Stick your butt out a bit more, Asia-chan.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t look down. Keep your eyes on me.”

She turned her head to him.

He positioned himself to enter her. She was very wet. Probably from watching him have sex with Ruruko.

“I’ll be gentle,” he assured her.

“No,” she said. “Do it as hard as you want to, Onii-chan.”

“I want to do in gently.”

Issei pushed. The head slipped inside.

Asia sucked in her breath. Her body involuntarily jerked forward causing him to slip out again.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Sorry. I’m just a bit scared.”

She bended her legs again so her butt was against him.

“You need to relax,” he said.

“Easier said than done.”

He leaned in and kissed her.

It was a long soft kiss. Lips only.

“Better?” he asked.

“Much better. Shall we try again, Onii-chan?”

“Uhu.”

He looked down. It was difficult to position himself right since he could hardly see anything. 

“Hold on,” Ruruko said. “I’ll help you. Don’t want you to take the wrong virginity.”

Asia blushed. “Ruruko-chan.”

“Isn’t that the way church girls remain virgins before their wedding? I’m surprised you didn’t ask him.”

“I have a new religion now,” Asia said.

“Oh,” Ruruko said. “What is it?”

“Pleasing Onii-chan in any way I can.” She turned to Issei. “Take whichever virginity you like, Onii-chan. They are all yours.”

“Alright. Do you mind helping me out here, Ruruko-chan?”

“Sure. But you didn’t answer her question, Senpai. Which way do you want her?”

“Don’t get cocky, or I’ll ask Evelyn instead”

“Sorry.”

Ruruko reached down to help position him right.

Issei gently pushed forward.

Asia bit her lip.

“Onii-chan is going in me,” she said.

He could feel her muscles spasm involuntarily to push him out.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “Go all the way, Onii-chan. I want to know how it feels.”

“Okay.”

He continued. The resistance increased a bit. He had to push harder.

Eventually, he felt himself sliding in all the way to the base.

“Wow,” Asia said.

“Does it hurt?”

“A bit. But I’m happy. We’re one now, Onii-chan.”

“Yeah.”

“You can move now. I can take it.”

He slowly moved his hips.

“Ow.”

“It will start to hurt less, Asia-chan,” Ruruko said. “Don’t worry.”

“It’s okay. As long as it makes Onii-chan feel good.”

“It feels amazing, Asia-chan.”

“Is it… how is it compared to-”

“We’re not making comparisons,” Issei cut her off. “You are both amazing.”

“But this is not your first time,” Asia said. “So-”

“It is. It is my first time with you, that’s all that matters.”

She kissed him.

“You can go harder if you want, Onii-chan. I want to make you feel good.”

“Don’t force yourself, Asia.”

Her body was very tense. It would probably hurt like hell if he went harder now. And Asia looked quite tense already from this slow pace.   
“I’m not forcing myself. I want you to feel good. That’s all that matters. If you feel good, I will feel good as well. So if doing it hard makes you feel good then…”

He stopped moving. “Asia. You…”

“I think we better stop this, Senpai,” Ruruko said.

“No,” Asia said. “No please. I can do this. I should be able to do this. This-”

“It’s okay if it hurts too much, Asia,” he told her.

She was unbelievably tense. Her muscles were all cramped up.

“I don’t care how much it hurts,” Asia said. “I told you not to stop.”

“I’ll stop whenever I want to,” he reminded her.

“But what if I really don’t want you to? I want to be your first, Onii-chan.”

“First?”

She froze. “I…” Asia looked away. “Forget I said that.”

“What did you mean with that? We both know Ruru-chan was my first time.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” she said.

“Don’t lie to me or I’ll have to punish you.”

“If you don’t tell him, I will,” Ruru-chan warned her.

“Oh, so you know?” he said.

“I… I have some clue about it now. But I was just as surprised as you when she said that, Senpai.”

“There is nothing to it,” Asia said. “There are more girls who want to do it with you. And I wanted to be first. Well, second.”

Other girls? Who the hell did she mean with that? 

“You don’t have to force yourself like this, Asia. It’s not a race.”   
“But I’m glad I did it. Let’s face it, Onii-chan, without any pressure, I would have never taken the step. And now I have and I can stop being scared about it. It was always gonna hurt. If anything, I was getting more scared the longer I waited.”

“Hm.”

“Please, continue.”

“No.” He took it out.

“Senpai?”

“Get on your stomach, Asia.”

She did as he asked. “What are you gonna do with me, Senpai? You want me like this?”

She expected him to take her again, but instead, he placed a knee on either side of her. His hands touched her shoulders.

Oh my…

He was gonna give her a massage?

Issei had never done that before. They had done it plenty of times to him (usually with a happy ending) but never the other way around.

“Do we have any massage oil left, Ruru-chan?” he asked.

“I think we do, hold on.”

She heard Ruruko-chan open a drawer and retrieve something. The next moment, she felt the cold oil on her back. Issei rubbed it all over her back.

Her body relaxed under his touch. She closed her eyes.

“Wow.”

“What’s wrong Evelyn?” Ruruko asked.

“I just.. I never saw anything like this before. He really loves her doesn’t he?”

“Of course he does. Isn’t it obvious?”

“Don’t mind me,” Evelyn said. “Please, continue.”

Asia was unsure how long he massaged her. It was a long time, that was certain.

But eventually, he whispered something in her ear.

She rolled on her back like he asked. When she sneaked a glance down, she saw he was still hard. There was no blood on him though. Maybe he had cleaned it off with magic? Or she hadn’t bled upon losing her virginity, that was possible. Even though it would be fitting for a pure maiden like her to bleed, in reality, not all girls bled during their virginity, and their religion had very little to do with that.

Suddenly, Issei’s head was between her legs. His tongue found her little clit.

Asia let out a curse word the church would certainly disapprove of.

She had never felt anything like this before.

While she had dreamed about this a few times before, Issei had never actually done it. She had not dared to ask him. It went completely against their dynamic. She was his slave girlfriend, so she should ask him what he wanted instead of being selfish. Anything she did should be about his pleasure, hers was irrelevant.

This was all wrong.

Maybe that was why it felt so good?

“Onii-chan, don’t do that, it’s dirty,” she begged.

“Nothing about you is dirty,” he said. “Now keep still or I’ll tie you up.”

“Yes, Onii-chan.”

Issei looked sideways.

Evelyn's towel had fallen down and she was now absentmindedly fondling her own chest. Ruruko looked at him with a hint of jealousy.

He continued. Asia squealed and moaned while he went down on her, but she kept still as best as possible.

“Onii-chan. Stop, I’m… I’m gonna… oh fuck…”

Issei moved his head up and rubbed her clit hard with his fingers.

“Cum for me Asia.”

That was all she needed. 

From experience, he knew Asia was a bit of a squirter, but this was a lot more than usual. She was cumming harder this time.

He would have to clean the sheets afterwards.

Asia was still in the afterglow of her orgasm and hardly felt his fingers being replaced by something hard.

He entered her very slowly. It hurt a bit, but the pain was hardly noticeable. She was still lost in her orgasm.

Issei kissed her. His lips tasted salty. So this was her own taste?

She had tasted Ruruko before from sucking him off after he had fucked her, and somehow, she had always thought her own taste would be the same. But while it was similar, it was still noticeably different. Or maybe that was just because she tasted it more directly now.

Issei forced her mind back by pushing it in further. 

He was taking her very slowly. She was certain he was not going all the way in, but she didn’t dare looking down to confirm.

It felt incredible. Her body had completely relaxed now and could take him a lot more easily.

“You can do it hard, Onii-chan,” she said.

“I’m doing it as hard as I like, Asia-chan.” He kept his slow pace.

They had never done anything quite this romantic. But it certainly helped her relax her body. However, there was still something that bothered her.

“Senpai,” she said. “This is wrong.”

“How so?”

“This is too soft for you. You can’t finish like this.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” he said. “You just lie there and take it.”

“You’re just going slow for my sake. Do it harder.”

“I’m sorry  _ slave _ , what did you say?”

She gasped. “Onii-chan?”

“Don’t tell me what to do. You’re my property, Asia, and I’m gonna take you however I want to. Your only job is to lie there and take it until I tell you to do something else. You do not make assumptions about what I want or how it feels for me.”

“I’m sorry.” 

“If you want to know, you ask me.”

“H-How does it feel?”

“Ask me properly.”

She bit her lip. “How… how does my p-pussy feel, Onii-chan?”

“It feels good.”

She blushed heavily. “Thank you. Let me know if there is anything I can do to make it feel better.”

“You can stop worrying and kiss me.”

He leaned down and claimed her lips.

Asia pushed her tongue inside to play with him.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Evelyn had slipped one of her hands beneath the towel and started to masturbate. She was too mesmerised by them to notice though.

Ruruko licked her lips. She seemed to enjoy the show.

They made out for a while. Issei played with her tongue. His hands reached up and pulled on her nipples.

While he did this, he fucked her deeper as well. However, his slow pacing stayed the same.

“Are you all the way in?” she asked between kisses.

“Not yet.”

“Please do it. I want to take it all. Train my body to accept you completely”

He obliged her request.

Asia gasped at the sensation of being filled completely.

She grit her teeth. It still hurt, but that was simply her body struggling to take it all. It also felt incredible. It felt good to know Onii-chan was enjoying this. Enjoying her.

He lasted for a few more minutes.

“I’m gonna speed up,” he announced. He grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head.

“Please do. Use my body to feel good.”

“I want you to beg me to cum inside once I do.”

“O-Okay.”

His movements got faster.

Asia did as she was ordered.

“P-Please, come inside of me. Fill me up, Onii-chan.”

“Keep going.” He rubbed her clit while he fucked her.

“Come inside of me. Make me… make me pregnant,” she blurted out. “Oh please… I want to have your babies. Onii-chan, I…” she panted hard.

“I’m gonna cum.”

“Can I come with you Onii-chan? Please?”

“Do it. Cum for me, Asia.”

She threw her head back and moaned loudly.

Several contractions waves went through her body.

Issei forced himself as deep as possible and came inside of her.

It took them about a minute before they could talk again.

“Wow,” Asia said. “That was amazing, Onii-chan.”

“Yeah.”

“I love you so much.” She kissed him.

Asia kept kissing him, but he had to stop her after a minute.

“Asia, it’s gonna-”

“Huh?”

Now that he was soft again, it slipped out of her.

“Ah, sorry,” Asia said. “I forgot.”

“We’re gonna have to clean the sheets I’m afraid,” Issei said. His cum was dripping out of her on the bed.

“Ah, please allow me,” Evelyn said. “It’s my job to help you with everything you require.”

“Maybe get dressed first.”

“Oh, yes, but…” Evelyn looked down.

“What’s wro-” a sudden sensation assaulted him. 

He looked down. “Asia?”

“Sorry, Onii-chan. I just figured I should clean you.”

“Oh, yeah, of course you should. You just surprised me. Please, continue.”

Asia took his soft cock back in her mouth.

“Anyway,” Issei said, turning back to Evelyn. “What’s wrong?”

“Well I only have the clothes I wore yesterday with me,” Evelyn said. “And those are my sister clothes. Diodora never allowed us to wear anything else. But I figured, as you are my new Master…”

“You want to wear something else?”

“Yes, please. Sister robes are not very practical to wear and frankly, I don’t need a constant reminder of my time with Diodora on my body.”

“I’ll take you for a shopping trip then,” Issei said. “You need to change your look anyway. It’s unlikely that someone will recognise you, but I’m not about to take any risks. At the very least you should change your clothes.”

“Thank you, Nii-san. That means a lot to me.”

“Until then,” he turned to Asia. “Can she borrow some of your clothes?”

“Of course.” Asia kept sucking.

“If you keep going, you’re gonna make it hard again.”

“You don’t want to go for another round?” Asia asked.

Ruruko embraced him from behind. “Yeah, Senpai. You haven’t even made me cum yet. And I want to have your babies as well.”

Asia turned bright red.

“But devils aren’t fertile around now, are they?” Evelyn asked.

“Indeed,” Ruruko confirmed. “But Asia seems to have a secret fantasy.”

“That’s enough, Ruru-chan,” Issei said. “Asia, you go take a shower.”

“Yes, Onii-chan.” She got up and went out.

“Shall I take over?” Ruruko suggested. “I think I can get you hard again.”   
“No doubt, but there is something else I have to do first.”

“Ye, what’s more important than satisfying your girlfriend?” she teased him.   
“Checking if Xen-chan is still alive.”

“Oh.” Her playfulness vanished. “Of course. I’d forgotten.”

“I’ll do you tonight, okay? But there’s some things I need to do today.”

“I can’t wait that long,” Ruruko complained. “You’ll have to do me before dinner or I’ll go crazy.”

“So needy. Fine, I promise, before dinner.”

He gave her a kiss.

“Now, don’t you have somewhere to go?” He had heard her say she had a meeting with Azazel today.

“What time is it?”

He told her.

“Crap, I’m gonna be late.”

Ruruko hurriedly got dressed. When she was done, she gave him a short kiss.

“See you later, Senpai.”

“See you.”

The door closed. He was alone with Evelyn now.

“Right,” Issei put on his boxers and stood up. “I’ll pick out some clothes for you.”

Issei opened the closet. He took out the least revealing white underwear he could find and handed it to her. Issei searched on. “Which colors do you like?”

“Anything you choose is good for me. Uhm, Nii-san?”

“Yeah?” he looked at her. “Oh.”

She couldn’t get the bra closed. Her breasts were spilling out of the cups.

“Hm, your size is bigger,” he said.

“It appears so. What about Ruruko-san?”

He shook his head. “Same size. But you had a bra on yesterday, didn’t you?”

She turned red. “Put it in the laundry this morning.”

“Hm. No bra it is then.”

“Ah…” she fidgeted. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

“At least the panties fit.”

“I feel bad about wearing another girl’s clothes.”

“I’ll take you shopping this afternoon,” he promised her.

“Ah, Nii-san. What’s that?”

“Oh, uhm, that’s uhm… cosplay.”

Ruruko loved teasing him with various outfits. She usually made Asia dress up with her. This outfit in particular was a maid uniform.

“Can I wear that?” she asked.

“You can’t wear that outside,” he said. “You’ll draw too much attention.”   
“But just for inside? Please?”   
“Fine.”

He helped her put on the uniform.

It was a pretty revealing variant. This was all the more obvious because she didn’t have a bra on.

“D-Do I look good?” she asked.

“Yeah, it looks good on you.”

“Uhm, Nii-san?”   
“Yeah?”

“Never mind.”

“Oh no. Tell me.”

“It’s nothing really.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. I think you’re forgetting your place here. If you want to stay here, you’ll have to do anything I tell you to.”

His thoughts went on a little tangent when he said that.

_ It was the uniform _ , he argued. How was he supposed to think clearly when there was a hot girl in a maid uniform without a bra standing in front of him?

And when she looked like a maid, how could he not treat her like one?

“O-Of course,” she said. “I didn’t expect anything else. You’re already going out of your way to help me, I should do anything in my power to repay that debt. I’ll do  _ anything  _ you tell me to, Nii-chan.”

“Well do it then,” he said calmly. “I said ‘tell me’.”

“Ah, of course, sorry. It’s just… this uniform is okay, but I feel really bad about wearing Asia’s panties. It’s like I’m invading her privacy.”

“Well take them off then.”

“I…” she blushed heavily. “I can’t do that.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that the second time you’re refusing an order, Eve-chan? I think you’ll need a little correction.”

“Ah, so- my apologies.” She reached beneath her skirt and pulled down her panties. Then, she crouched and picked them up.

Eve handed the panties to him. “Here you go, Nii-san. Please don’t punish me.”

“But you’re not following orders.”

“I’ll do better, I promise. I-If you punish me then… I think it’s gonna bring back bad memories. When I did something wrong, Dio-…”

“Shh, calm down. You never have to go back to him. He’s gone. I’m not going to punish you.”

“No, no, you should. I can’t be a good maid if you don't correct my behaviour.”

“Hm, well let’s do it this way then: I want you to ask me.”

“Nii-chan?”

“If you do something wrong, and you think it would help to be punished, you just ask me. And you tell me how you want to be punished.”

“O-Okay. W-Well I think I should be punished for my insolence.”

“I’m glad to help you,” he said. “How do you want it?”

She swallowed hard. “Spanking.”

Eve avoided his gaze.

“Your butt?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Bend over the bed and lift your skirt.”

She put one hand on the bed and lifted her skirt with the other one.

“How many?” he asked.

“Five? No, wait, seven.”

“Okay. Count them out loud. And look straight ahead.”

She took a deep breath.

He slapped her butt.

“Ah,” she cried out. That was a lot harder than she had expected.

“Count,” he reminded her.

“Sorry, one.” She gritted her teeth.

She got another slap.

“T-Two.” She breathed hard. “Are you using magic?”

“I am,” he confirmed. “That’s how you’re supposed to spank a servant.”

“Ah, of course. Please, continue.”

He was careful to spread out his slaps over her butt.

It hurt, but Eve reasoned she has specifically asked for this. This was very different from Diodora who punished her incredibly harsh even if she personally thought she had done nothing wrong.

“Why am I doing this?” he asked.

“Because I’m not following orders. Ah, five.”

“Are you gonna do better from now on?”

“Six. Yes, I promise. I will follow every order you give me.”

“Good. One more, Eve.”

“Go ahead.”

He slapped her one last time.

“Seven.”

“Okay, you can get up again.”

She slowly rose and rubbed her butt.

“You okay?” Issei asked.

She nodded. “Thanks for correcting me, Nii-san.”

“My pleasure. Now be a good maid and go change those sheets.”

“Right away, Nii-san.”

She got started.

Issei put on his shirt (which was still on the floor from last night) and went out to the guest room.

He turned on the nightlight and sat down at Xenovia’s feet.

She stirred and woke up.

“Ise-senpai?”   
“Good morning. Sorry I woke you.”

“It’s okay.” Xenovia sat up.

“How do you feel?”

“Not bad for someone who’s been stabbed.”

He chuckled. “You’re gonna have to-”

Xenovia got out of bed.

“Hey, you can’t…”

“But I feel okay,” she said. 

“You could have internal bleedings,” he warned her.

“But-”

“Have a seat. I’ll check if you’re okay and then you can start running around.”

“Fine.”

She reluctantly sat down and leaned back on her hands.

Issei placed his hand on her belly. A green light shone.

“You don’t need to Promote for this?”

“This is quite easy,” he said. “Actually healing wounds is more difficult.”

He moved his hand around. Everything looked fine.

Xenovia looked fine as well. She was still in her blue underwear from last night so he could see quite a lot.

Most of the blood had been cleaned off, but there was some of it left. She’d have to take a shower.

Issei moved his hand over her breast.

“Senpai?”

“I’m checking if your heart rate is okay,” he explained.

“Oh, okay.”

“You’re gonna have to take off your bra,” he said. “It’s disrupting the signal.”

“Of course.”  Xenovia reached back and undid her bra.

Issei touched her breast. “Hm, a bit high, but it’s okay.”

He moved to her other breast.

Xenovia was still leaning back on her hands. She did not try to stop him as he fondled her breasts.

“Hm, interesting,” Issei said.

“What?”

“You’ve depleted your demonic powers entirely. Looks like your body healed whatever damage was left on its own.”

“So what does that mean?”   
“You’ll be human for a while. No superior speed, strength, no flying, no magic.”

She looked a bit annoyed. “How long is a while?”

“A day? A few days? Difficult to say. Demonic powers restore at different speeds. And you are an exceptional case.”

“Because I have holy powers as well?”

“Indeed. Normally it wouldn’t be possible for the two to exist together. It would destroy you. But since God is dead, the System is out of balance allowing for these kinds of anomalies.”

She nodded. “And what happened to my holy powers?”

“Hm,” he squeezed her breast again. “Depleted as well. You must have used both of them. That’s why you recovered so fast.”

“So I can’t use Durandal then?”

“No. Not until they restore.” He released her. “You can get dressed again by the way.”

She put her bra back on. “But, Ise-senpai, without Durandal, I’m completely defenseless. What if something happens?”   
“Which is why I’m gonna assign a bodyguard to you.”

“You have a bodyguard?”

Someone knocked on the door.

“Ah, right on time. Come on in.”

Evelyn entered.

“I’m done changing the sheets. Do you have any other tasks for me, Nii-san?”

“Ise,” Xenovia said. “That’s his Queen.”

“Yeah, it’s a long story. She works for us now. Diodora forced her to help him.”

“So you trust her?”

“Well Diodora forced her,” he argued.

“That’s what anyone would say in her situation. She could be spying on us.”

“We’ve confirmed her story,” Issei said.

“Wait, what?” Evelyn looked confused.

“During your interrogation, Rias asked you which monastery you were expelled from. Someone went over there and talked to them. They confirmed you were indeed expelled.”

Xenovia wasn’t convinced though.

“That doesn’t mean she’s not loyal anymore to-”

“To a dead guy? What’s the point of that? Besides, we have a safety net. While she slept, I cast a special mark on her body. If she betrays us, I can kill her instantly.”

“Y-You…” Evelyn struggled to respond. “That’s impossible.”

“Is it?” he waved his hand. A red circle lit up on her left breast.

“I…”

“Thank you for sleeping with me, Evelyn,” he said. “That made it a lot easier to cast the mark.”

“You’re insane!” she yelled.

“You’re insane if you thought I would simply trust every hot girl that passes by,” he shot back.

Her demeanor changed completely. She suddenly blushed heavily. “Y-You think I’m hot?” She twisted one of her hair locks around.

“Well, yes.” 

That was weird.

“Thank you, Nii-san. I uhm, I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“You…” How did this girl change gears so fast?   
“I just needed to take it in,” she explained. “Of course I understand there’s no way you can trust me instantly. I have to earn your trust. And my past speaks against me. In your situation, I think I’d do the same.”

“I wish it wasn’t necessary, but we can’t take any risks.”

Evelyn took it in really fast. It was probably because of her time with Diodora. Issei guessed such outbursts would have painful consequences for her, so she had to learn to control her emotions very quickly.

“Sorry, Ise-senpai,” Xenovia said. “Of course you would never endanger me.”

“So I’ll be assigned as her bodyguard then?” Evelyn asked.   
“For now, that is your main task indeed,” Issei said.

“As you wish.” She turned to Xenovia. “Nice to meet you. I’m Evelyn. Please call me Eve-chan.”

“Xenovia Quarta,” the other girl replied. “You can call me Xen-chan.”

Issei let out his breath. Luckily, Eve-chan believed him.

In reality, Issei had nowhere near enough power to cast anything like that. The mark on her was actually a different spell called Dress Break which he had developed in secret (with some help from Asia). He had cast it on her while helping her into her uniform. The mark was on her clothes, not her body. But this way, he could be certain she would never betray him.

“Onii-chan?” Someone entered.

“Oh, hey Asia.” Her hair was still wet from her shower. She was wrapped in a towel.

“I hoped you’d join me in the shower,” she said.

“Sorry, I had to check up on Xen-chan.”

“She seems fine,” Asia said. “So now you can focus back on me.”

“So you miss me already?”

“Always.”

“You’ll be okay, Xen-chan?” he asked.   
“I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

He scooped Asia up in his arms.

“Hey,” she protested.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Asia put her head on his chest.

He carried her outside.

“I’m hungry,” Issei announced. He still hadn’t had breakfast. “And I want to shower as well.”

“Can you first tell we what to wear please?”

“You look fine to me.”

“ _ Onii-chan,”  _ she pouted.

“Okay, okay.”

Issei entered his room again. He put her down next to the closet.

“Let’s see.”

He handed her a sexy bra, a mini skirt and a tight T-shirt.

“Onii-chan? You haven’t given me panties.”

“I know.”

“Oh. Uhum. As you wish, Onii-chan.”

She dropped the towel and got dressed.

The skirt was really short. If she wasn’t careful when bending over or sitting down, everyone would be able to see her pantiless state.

Asia pulled on the edges. “You’re so mean.”

“Asia,” he said. “You’re mine.”

His hand went beneath her skirt and touched her.

She gasped. “Onii-chan.”

Asia grabbed his arm but didn’t stop him.

“I’m going to touch you whenever I want to,” he said. “There shouldn’t be anything in the way of my touch.”

“So you’re gonna make me do this more often?”

“Maybe. That’s up to me, isn’t it?”

“Yes, Onii-chan.”

He retracted his fingers.

“Hm, you’ve dirtied my fingers.”

“I’m sorry, Onii-chan. I got very excited when you ordered me not to wear panties. And when you touched me.” She hesitated. “Can I clean them please?”

“Go ahead.”

He brought his fingers to her mouth.

Asia-chan cleaned them off without breaking eye contact.

“How do you like your own taste?” he asked.

“It tastes lovely.”

At this rate, he was going to take her again. It took all his self restraint not to bend her over right here and-

“Uhm, will you take me somewhere, Onii-chan? There’s something I have to do.”

“Oh, where?”

“The church.”

“Oh. Uhm, okay.”

“Thank you,” she said. “Let me just gather my stuff.”

“Stuff?”

Asia started gathering things from the room.

“Can I have breakfast first?” he asked.

“Ah, sorry. I… uhum. Let’s eat first.”

They went downstairs.

Asia prepared breakfast for him.

“Asia?” he asked.

“Hm?”

“Do you… are you still okay with…”

“I love being your slave girlfriend,” she said. “It’s amazing. You like it too, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” he smiled. “But if something’s wrong you have to tell me, okay?”

“I will. Breakfast is ready by the way.”

She put it on the table.

“Let’s get started then.” He clapped his hands together. “Itadakimasu.”

Asia repeated the phrase.

When they were done eating, he took a quick shower and got dressed.

He found Asia in his room carrying a cardboard box. Her sister robes were inside of it.

“So you want to go to the church?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “There is something I want to do. If it’s okay with you of course.”   
“Yeah, sure.”

He cast a magic circle that teleported them right into the church. After Raynare had left the base, the barrier had been taken down, so they could teleport inside.

Issei felt a shiver go through his body. This was enemy territory after all.

Asia walked to the altar.

“Uhm, could you turn around for a sec?”

“Okay.”

He had no idea what she was planning.

Issei heard the ruffling of robes.

“Okay, I’m done,” she said.

He turned back.

“Asia. Why are you…”

She was wearing her sister clothes again.

“Sorry, Onii-chan. You can punish me later if you want to.”

“I thought you wanted to break with the church?”

“I do. That’s why I’m here.”

She took out something from the box and placed it on the ground. Her bible.

“I uhm… I want you to burn it, please.”

“Okay.”

He promoted to Queen and summoned the powers of Cerberus. Flames burst out of his hand. Her bible caught fire.

Asia kept staring at it, even after it was nothing but ashes anymore.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Of course. I said it, didn’t I? I have a new religion now. It’s time to let go of the past.”

She took out something else. A little bottle.

It was probably holy water.

Asia threw it hard. The bottle surged through the air and smashed against pillar.

He thought he saw some sadness in her eyes.

“Asia…”

“I’ll feel better after this,” she said. “I’m not a church girl anymore, Onii-chan. I’m a devil now. And I belong to you.”

“Okay.” 

She took out the final item: a small wooden box.

“That’s gonna be difficult to destroy, Asia,” he said.

“Yeah, I thought so.”

“But I think I have an idea for what to do with that. It will take some time though.”

“Okay.”

He took the box from her and put it aside.

“So, what about your clothes?” Issei asked.

She blushed. “Well, I would like you to…”

“Yes?” he urged her.

Asia leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

“Oh, wow. Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

Issei nodded. “Let’s get started then.”


	10. Chapter 9: Unseen Visions

 

Issei zipped up his pants.

“I guess you’ve completely broken faith now. Sex on the altar, ye, Asia.”

“You’re the one who made me like this,” she accused him playfully. She was still naked.

“Maybe. Or you were just hiding your true desires all along.”

She blushed. “I just wanted to… I wanted to do something very wrong. Does that make sense?”

Issei shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’m always glad to help you out, Asia.”

She smiled.

Issei moved closer and kissed her.

“You want to go a second round?” she suggested.

“So demanding,” he teased her. “Unfortunately I promised Eve-chan I’d take her shopping this afternoon.”

“All these girls demanding your time.”

“It’s not easy being Harem King,” he said.

“Can I come with you?”

“Sure. Now get dressed, Asia.”

She looked at the remnants of her clothes. 

“You kinda ruined my bra,” she said. “I asked you to rip my sister clothes to shreds, but you could have kept my bra intact.”

“Well, I got carried away a bit. Sorry.”

“No you’re not.”

“True,” he admitted. “Be glad you weren’t wearing panties.”

She smiled back. “You’re right, Onii-chan. That does allow for easier access.”

“You can put on a bra again when we’re home. For now, just wear your shirt and skirt.”

She got dressed. “You don’t like the easy access to my boobs?”

“Well they need some support. Especially since…”

“Since what?” She feigned innocence, but she was obviously very satisfied with herself.

“You’re not fooling me, Asia. You’re growing.”

“That’s right,” she confirmed. “Since the fight.”

She pushed her chest out.

“What? How…”

She suddenly hesitated. “Uhm… it’s a bit embarrassing.”

“Nothing about you is embarrassing, Asia. Tell me.”

“Well… somewhere deep down I always had this silly hope they would still grow. Especially after we became a couple. So I uhm… I measure them every week. Every time I hoped they would grow. I prayed they would but…”

“Don’t devils take damage when praying?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “But I don’t care about that. I want to be your dream girl. I know you prefer them bigger. I considered having an operation, but… well I was too scared to ask you.”

“You don’t have to do an operation, Asia,” he assured her.

“I still would,” she said confidently. “If there is anything about me you dislike, I’ll change it right away. If you don’t like blonde hair or green eyes, just say it, I can color my hair or wear colored contact lenses. If you want me to be taller I can wear heels all the time. If you want me to me more seductive, I can-”

“I want you to be yourself, Asia.”

“This is me. I always help other people however I can. I never cared about myself. When that wounded man came to our church, I didn’t think twice about healing him. I didn’t think about the possible consequences for me. At my core, I’m still the same caring girl. The only real difference is that you are in my live now. And I care so much about you I’m willing to do anything, sacrifice anything, do…”

“I understand. Just, don’t do anything drastic without telling me okay?”

“Okay.”

“So uhm, are you still praying?” he asked, getting back to their subject.

“Not lately. It didn’t work anyway. Every week they were the exact same size.”

“But not this week?”

“In the shower I was washing myself and it felt weird. So I measured them and… they are three centimeters larger than usual. They are more symmetrical as well. The left one used to be slightly smaller, but that’s no longer the case.”

“Three centimeters in one night is a lot. That can’t be normal.”

“Maybe it’s because devils are naturally seductive. So my body adapts to be more seductive.”

“Maybe.”

“Or maybe… Rias told me devils are incarnations of desire. Since this is what I want, it’s entirely possible my demonic powers are starting to change my body. Or they are just giving a little push to my natural growth.”

“But you’ve been a devil for quite a while now.”

“But I didn’t truly accept it, did I? I think that the praying actually blocked my demonic powers. Now that I’ve let go completely, the mental block is gone and they are free.”

“Hm. Interesting.”

Asia pushed her chest out. “Just watch me, Onii-chan. I’m gonna grow into your dream girl.”

Issei embraced her. 

Asia wasted no time getting on her tiptoes and kissing him. Her tongue slipped inside.

Issei sucked on her tongue.

She moved his hand to her chest. It was indeed a bit larger.

Issei fondled her breasts.

Not good. At this rate, he was gonna push her down and go for another round.

He broke off the kiss.

Asia had turned bright red.

“Will you…” she twisted a strand of hair around. “If they are big enough, can I give you a…”

“Of course,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too.”

She kissed him again.

Issei gently pushed her off. “I think it’s about time we go home. Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

She summoned a circle and brought them home.

“I think it’s about lunchtime,” Asia said. “Shall I make you a sandwich?”

He chuckled.

Asia cocked her head to the side. “Did I say something weird?”

“No, no. go ahead.”

“Okay.”

She opened the fridge.

“Asia,” he said.

“Hm?”

“That’s not how you make lunch.”

“It’s not?” she blinked a few times.

“You should wear an apron when cooking.”

She shook her head. “You don’t miss any opportunity to check out my body, do you?”

“Nope.”

“I’ll get changed then.”

Asia stripped down and put on an apron.

He helped her tie the back.

Issei sat down and watched as Asia made lunch for them. It was quite an interesting sight. The apron didn’t hide much.

“You sure you don’t mind this?” he asked.

“I’ll wear whatever you want me to, Onii-chan,” she said. “And to be honest, I kinda like the way you’re looking at me.”

“Well I like looking at you.”

She finished their lunch and put it on the table.

Issei put his hands together. “Itadakimasu.”

She repeated the phrase.

They started eating.

“Do you like it?” Asia asked.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

“Thanks.”

When they were done eating, Asia cleaned up everything. He didn’t ask her, she just did it. Issei tried to help her, but-

“Please sit down, Onii-chan,” Asia said. “I’ll clean it all up myself.”

“You sure?”

“I’ll do all the chores,” she said. “Your job is to sit there and check me out while I do it.”

“Hm. And can I touch you as well?”

“To be honest, I’m a little disappointed you haven’t done that already.”

“Hm.” He touched her butt. “You’re getting confident, aren’t you?”

“I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “If you want to, I can…”

“Still so insecure? No, Asia, I don’t mind. You’re confident about saying what you want. That’s a good thing.”

“But I’m still insecure about many things,” she said.

“That’s fine. I’m here for you. Just say the word.”

“Thanks, Onii-chan.”

She finished cleaning up.

“You can get dressed again,” Issei said. “I don’t think the mall will let us in like that.”

“Can I wear panties again?” she asked. “It’s… uhm… not that I don’t like…uhm…”

“You’re scared to go without panties in public?”

She nodded. “But if you really want me to, I’ll do it of course. It’s your decision, not mine.” 

“You can wear panties,” he said.

“Thanks. Which ones?”

“You can choose yourself. As long as it’s sexy.”

“I wasn’t aware I had non-sexy clothes, Onii-chan.”

“Not anymore.”

Asia nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

She went up to get changed.

Issei leaned back in his chair. It looked like he had made the right decision. Asia was worrying a lot less since he had taken charge. And she seemed very happy like this. 

And if he was honest, he really liked this as well. 

Asia returned a bit later. She stood in front of him, blushing heavily. “Uhm.”

“Hm?”

She slowly lifted her skirt. “Are these satisfying for you, Onii-chan?”

“Hm.” He studied her panties. They were made of red lace that only covered the bare minimum. Actually, Issei thought he had seen Rias wear something like that once.

“If it’s not good enough just say it please,” Asia said. “I can go change again. I’m just worried because you didn’t pick them out.”

“It’s okay, Asia. You look good.”

“Thanks.” She lowered her skirt again. “Shall we then?”

“No,” he said. “Show me your bra as well.”

“Oh, sorry. Of course.” She pulled up her top.

“Hm. Matching underwear.”

“Of course.”

“Is it not too tight?” he asked. “You said your breasts had grown a bit.”

“I adjusted the hooks.”

“Huh?”

She turned around. “There are three sets, see?”

“Oh. Yeah, I get it.” She could give herself more room by attaching the hooks at a different set of loops.

“But in the long term, I think I’ll need new bras,” Asia said.

“Sure. I’ll pick out some things for you then.”

“I’d like that. Is my bra approved as well, Onii-chan?”

“It is. You can lower your top again.”

“Thank you.”

“Let’s go then.”

Issei summoned a circle. 

They arrived in the hall of the apartment building.

He pressed the buzzer.

[Who’s there?] a voice asked.

“Hyoudou Issei and Asia Argento.”

“Hyoudou,” she said. “Hyoudou Asia.”

He frowned. “You’re gonna change names?”

“I don’t want to be associated with that old name anymore. I’m yours now, so it’s only logical I take your name as well.”

“Okay then.”

[I’ll open the door,] Xenovia said.

They took the elevator up to the apartment.

Eve-chan opened the door.

She had put on different clothes. Probably an outfit belonging to Xenovia.

“Hey Ise-senpai,” Xenovia said.

“Hey,” he said. “I promised I’d take Eve-chan shopping. She urgently needs new clothes.”

“I noticed,” she said. “But you can’t just take away my bodyguard, Ise.”

“Well come with us then.”

“Alright.”

Issei summoned a large circle for the four of them.

They all stepped inside and flashed away.

“Hm, it’s quiet here,” Xenovia said.

“This is the Sitri Game Field,” Issei explained. “All stories are identical copies of their real life counterparts. It’s safer here.”

“I see. That’s convenient.”

“Yeah. It is.”

They walked into a clothing store.

“Wow,” Eve-chan said.

“You’ve never been to a clothing store before?” Asia asked.

“No. Of course not.”

“Well you really missed out. Come on.”

Asia dragged her further inside.

Issei smiled. “They seem to be having fun.”

“You too,” Xenovia said calmly.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “By the way, do you want to go training?”

“Sure.”

“I’m really sorry I didn’t make time for you. I should have-”

“No no,” she waved her hands. “You had stuff going on. Don’t apologise.”

“Even so, I should have made time for you. You are important to me as well. Busy or not, you deserve my attention.”

“Thanks. So, tomorrow?”

“Sounds good. Actually let’s do it right here. They let me borrow the field whenever I want to.”

“Here?”

“Yes. I could use some practise on fighting in spaces like this. It’s one thing to fight in an open area, but it’s something else to find and ambush your opponents.”

“True. That sounds good.”

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow then.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

“Onii-chan,” Asia called. “Are you coming?”

“You need me?”

“I need your opinion on something.”

“Coming.”

He noticed they had somehow ended up in the underwear section.

Well to be fair, she needed underwear too. Might as well buy clothes in order of importance.

“What do you think of this?” Asia asked. She held up a sexy black bra.

“Asia,” Eve protested. “I can’t wear something like that.”

“Eve-chan,” Asia said calmly. “You don’t understand, do you?”

“Understand what?”

“You’re Onii-chan’s slave girlfriend now. You don’t decide what clothes you wear anymore.”

“But…”

“She’s right,” Issei said. “You agreed you’d do anything I told you when you came to live with me. So that means you’ll wear whatever I tell you to.”

“Be glad he doesn’t let you wear sister robes,” Ruruko said. “Like Diodora.”

“You don’t want to look sexy for Onii-chan?” Asia asked.

“I… that…” Eve struggled to reply.

“Hey,” Issei took her hand. “Take a deep breath.”

She breathed in and out deeply.

“Better?” he asked.

“Yeah. Sorry, Nii-san. I’m just a little shy.”

“That’s fine. But you’ll still do as you’re told, won’t you?”

“Of course, Nii-san.”

“Good.”

She fidgeted. “May I speak up?”

“Sure.”

“I think red, white or purple would suit me better. Black doesn’t match my hair.”

“Hm, yeah. You have a point.”

They picked out a few things.

“Let’s try these on first,” Issei said. “You and Xenovia can keep browsing.”

“Okay,” Asia said.

He went to the changing rooms with Eve-chan.

Issei went into one.

“Uhm, Nii-san?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I can put on a bra myself.”

“I know. Now get in here.”

“But…”

“What did I ask you just a moment ago?

She fidgeted. “If I was going to do as I’m told.” Her voice was very quiet.

“So why aren’t you doing it then?”

“Sorry.” She got into the cubicle.

Issei closed the curtain.

“I feel like I’m going too easy on you.”

“I’m sorry, Nii-san. Sometimes you’re a little overwhelming.”

“That’s no excuse, Eve. I’m your Master. I expect you to trust me completely and follow any order immediately. I don’t like repeating myself.”

“Of course,” she said. “Just. Please go easy on me. I need to get used to all of this. Just give me some time.”

“Eve,” he said. “I am going easy on you. You know that, right?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try harder, Nii-san.”

“We’ll see,” he replied. “Get undressed.”

She hesitated only a brief second before taking off her shirt. 

Issei felt a bit bad about taking advantage of the situation like that. 

But then again, he had saved her from Diodora. She was much better off right now, so was it really so wrong to have some fun himself?

Eve reached back and undid her bra. It was a simple blue bra, probably borrowed from Xenovia.

Completely naked, she instinctively covered herself up with her hands.

“No,” he said. “Hands down. You don’t hide your body for me.”

She lowered her hands.

He cupped one of her breasts. “I own you. All of you.”

“Yes, Nii-san. I… I hope my breasts please you.”

“They do.” Her breasts fit neatly into his hand.

Issei rolled her nipple between his fingers. It grew hard pretty quickly.

“Nii-san.” She breathed hard.

“Something wrong?”

“Ah, no. I just wondered if there’s anything you desired of me?”

There were plenty of things he could think of, but he had to stay focused right now.

“Not at the moment. Let’s see.”

He released her breasts and picked up a bra.

Issei put it on her and closed the hooks.

“How is that?”

“I should ask you, Nii-san. Do you like how it looks?”

“Not bad. But I want it to be comfortable for you as well. Otherwise that could distract you from servicing me.”

“Thanks for your concern, Nii-san. It’s uhm… it’s a bit tight.”

“Hm.” He fondled her breasts. “Yeah, you’re right. Let’s try something else.”

They continued.

It took them a long time before they were done. Eve-chan had basically nothing with her, so she needed a lot of clothes. And both Asia and Xenovia wanted to try out some things as well.

But finally, it looked like they were done. There were a lot of bags. It was a good thing they didn’t have to pay for all of this.

Issei checked the time. “It’s getting late. We should go.”

If he left them be, they’d continue all night.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Asia said. “Let’s go home.”

He summoned a circle for all of them.

They arrived into his hallway.

“You’ll come pick me up tomorrow then?” Xenovia asked. “For our training?”

“Sure.”

“Should I go with you?” Eve-chan asked.

“I’ll be fine,” Xenovia said. “The building has a powerful barrier up and Rias-senpai lives just above me.”

Eve nodded. “I’ll come tomorrow morning then.”

“Okay.”

Xenovia said goodbye to them and teleported away.

“Okay,” Issei said. “I suggest you two go help with dinner and then I’ll go store these clothes away.”

“Okay.”

The girls went to the kitchen.

Issei went to his room. He had to use magic to make all the bags float with him since there were so many of them. 

It was a good thing his room had a walk-in closet, or they would never be able to fit everything inside.

When he was done, he went to the kitchen.

Eve-chan, Asia-chan and Ruru-chan were cooking. 

“Ye, Senpai, you totally forgot,” Ruruko accused him.

“No I didn’t. It’s you who forgot something.”

“Oh yeah?” she challenged him.   
“You don’t cook in this outfit.”

“What does he mean?” Eve-chan asked.

“We’re supposed to wear an apron when cooking,” Asia said. “I’m so sorry, Onii-chan. I totally forgot.”

Issei embraced Ruruko from behind. “Come on, Ruruko-chan. Just put it on and then I can-”

“Senpai,” she said calmly. “I’m not your slave.”

“Oh.” He released her.

“Your dynamic with Asia and Eve-chan is your business, but last I checked I’m still your regular girlfriend,” Ruruko said. “I accept that you build a harem. I accept that you order me around a little bit for practical reasons. But I’m not one of your little playthings to be paraded around the house.”

“Ruruko-chan,” Asia warned her.

“No, she’s right,” he said. He turned to Ruruko. “I’m sorry, Ruru-chan. You’re absolutely right. I’m getting used to ordering Asia and Eve-chan around all the time, but our dynamic is different. You’re my girlfriend and I should treat you like that. You can wear whatever you want.”

“Okay.”

He turned back to Asia. “That doesn’t apply to you, Asia. You know the rules, get changed.”

She turned bright red. “Yes, Onii-chan.”

Asia got undressed right there.

“You as well, Eve-chan.”

“O-Okay.”

Eve-chan started undressing as well.

He turned back to Ruruko.

“I’m sorry, Ruru-chan. When you said ‘before dinner’ I figured it would be fun to do it in the kitchen while you were making dinner.”

“So you were gonna bend me over the counter in my naked apron?” she asked.   
“Something like that. But I did not consider how you would feel about that. I’m sorry.”

“Hm.” she pondered. “Asia? Can you handle the rest of dinner by yourself?”

“I’ll manage.” She pulled an apron over her head. “If you can just help me out with this.” She turned around.

Ruruko tied the knot on her back.

“Can we go to your room, Senpai?” Ruruko asked. “So you can keep your promise.”

“Okay.”

He went upstairs with Ruruko-chan.

“Isn’t this pretty cruel to Asia-chan?” he asked. “I made her strip down and I’m not even there to see it.”

“Well she should be punished anyway. She knows she has to wear an apron and she didn’t do it.”

“Even so-”

“She’s your slave. She should obey all your commands, regardless of whether you are there or not. If she can’t handle that she should speak up,” Ruruko said. “If she doesn’t tell you, you can only assume she’s okay. If there is a problem, you should explicitly tell your partner. Don’t expect them to read your mind. That counts even more for us, since you have multiple girls to worry about. You can be as cruel as you want to her, it’s her responsibility to speak up if there is a problem. Like I spoke up when you started treating me like a slave.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he replied. “Look, Ruruko. I don’t want you abusing this okay?”

“Abusing what?”

“That you’re my girlfriend and they are my slave girlfriends. Like you are doing right now. They are making dinner and we are going upstairs to have sex. You know very well Asia and Eve-chan can’t get out of making dinner like you can.”

“If anyone is abusing things, it’s you.”

Issei opened his mouth and then closed it again.

“Sorry,” Ruruko said. “It’s none of my business.”

“Well you have a point.”

“Asia asked you for this, multiple times. And if she changes her mind, she can simply say it.”

“But Eve…”

Ruruko shrugged. “Let me ask you something else. Do you think she’d feel comfortable suddenly deciding everything?”

“Maybe.”

“Given her past, I think she’d be stressing out completely if you suddenly let her completely free. So to some extent, you’re gonna have to take some charge.”

“But I feel like I’m overdoing it.”

“It’s okay, Senpai. You want a harem and you’re doing anything you can to get that. I’m not gonna blame you for following your dream. And you’re not really harming her, are you? Especially compared to Diodora.”

“I guess.”

“You’re worrying too much.”

“Maybe.”

“I guess I’ll have to distract you a little.”

“Please do.”

They entered his room.

* * *

 

A call reached him via magic circle. Issei frowned. He touched his ear.

[Ise-kun?]

“Rias?” 

He kept going.

[Are you busy at the moment?]

Issei looked down. “Sort off.”

[Can I ask with what?]

“Uhm.” He tried to find a good way to explain he was currently fucking Ruruko from behind. “No, you can’t.”

He sped up.

“Senpai,” she whispered a complaint. “Ah, fuck.”

Ruruko held her hand in front of her mouth to muffle her moans.

[We have a slight problem here.]

He smirked. “True.”

[Huh?]

“Ah, sorry. Can I call you back after dinner? I’m kinda busy at the moment.”

[Yeah, sure. I’ll explain later.]

She broke off the communication circle.

“Are you finished?” Ruruko asked.

“Yeah. Sorry. Everyone always demands my attention.”

“Will you…” she blushed heavily. “Do it more roughly please?”

“Sure.”

Issei did it harder. He slapped her butt a few times.

“Ah, fuck, that feels good.”

Ruruko reached between her legs and rubbed her clit.

“Keep going,” she pleaded.

He was happy to oblige her.

Issei grabbed her twin tails and pulled her head back.

“Are you gonna cum?” he asked.

“Yes, Senpai. I’m gonna cum on your cock.”

“Do it.”

She let out a scream. He could feel her muscles spasm as she came.

Still in the afterglow of her orgasm, Ruruko tongue-kissed him.

“Wow,” she said. “That was good.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you gonna cum too?”

“Yeah.” He could feel himself getting closer. “Inside?”

“Uhu. Do it inside, Senpai.”

She used her pelvic muscles to squeeze his cock until he came inside of her.

When he was done, he pulled it out.

Ruruko reached back with her hand and caught the cum that leaked out of her.

She sat up and brought her hand to her mouth to lick it clean.

“That’s hot,” Issei said.

“I know.” She licked her fingers clean one by one.

“You’re gonna clean me up as well?”

“No,” she said. “Ask one of your slaves.”

He shook his head. “Little deviant.”

Issei took out a tissue from his nightstand and cleaned himself up.

“Senpai?”

She leaned in and kissed him.

He knew she was doing this just to mess with him.

Ruruko tried to push her tongue past his lips, but he kept them closed tightly.

Someone knocked on his door.

“Nii-san? Dinner is ready.”

“Give me one sec.”

He searched for his clothes (which had been thrown around in the room).

When they were both fully dressed again, they went outside.

“I’m hungry,” Issei said. They took the stairs down.

“You just had your dessert,” Ruruko argued.

“Physical activity makes you hungry. And as usual, I was doing all the work.”

“I’ll remind you of that next time I’m on top doing all the work.”

They arrived downstairs.

Asia and Eve had both gotten dressed again after finishing dinner. So he really had made them change for nothing.

Although to be fair, it was more out of principle.

Dinner was delicious. He praised the three of them.

When they were done, Issei went to the hallway and contacted Rias.

“So, what’s the problem?”

[It’s probably easier if I show you. I’ll send you some coordinates.]

“Sure. Should I take the girls with me?”

[No!]

“Rias?”

[Uhum. I mean, there’s no need. I just need your opinion on something.]

“Hm. Okay.”

Issei broke off the call and went back to his girlfriends. “I need to go away for a while. Rias needs my help with something.”

“Okay,” Asia said. “I have a few contracts I need to complete anyway.”

“Me as well,” Ruruko said.

“Then I’ll see if I can work on the barrier for a bit,” Eve-chan said. “You said it needs improving.”

“Sounds good.”

He kissed them all goodbye before teleporting to the coordinates Rias had sent him.

“Hm.”

Issei looked around. This was the old industrial area out of town, filled with old factories. There was no one in sight though.

“Ise-kun,” a voice said.

Issei turned. “Oh, there you are. So, what’s wrong?”

“Let’s go inside,” Rias said.

He followed her into a factory.

Rias summoned two flashlights and handed one to him.

He soon found the problem. In the middle of the room was a dead body. There was quite a lot of blood around it. 

It was a young girl’s body. He noticed she wore no shoes or socks. Also, she was  pretty hot. She had long-

“Further up,” Rias said.

Frowning, Issei pointed his flashlight higher.

“What the hell!?”

The flashlight slipped between his fingers and smashed on the ground. 

Issei crouched down to pick it up. The glass was shattered, so he already knew the thing wouldn’t work anymore. But while he crouched, he didn’t have to look at it. Maybe it would be gone when he looked back up.

Sadly, that wasn’t the case. It was still there. And he could see it clearly since Rias was pointing her flashlight at it.

His own name, written in blood.

_ Okay, calm down _ , he told himself.  _ No need to freak out. _

“How did you find the body?” he asked.

“I was summoned. Someone drew a magic circle with the Gremory sigil on it and activated it remotely.”

“Do you think it’s a warning?” Issei asked.

“Certainly looks that way.”

Issei moved closer. Was it really blood?

He reached out.

“Be careful,” Rias warned him.

“I’m gonna take her powers,” Issei said. “That will give us a clue as to whether she’s a normal human or not.”

“Okay.”

He touched the blood.

Even on the dried blood, his Bloodbound powers activated. 

Because of the repeated use, his control over his powers had increased to the extent that he could sense somewhat which abilities and knowledge were added.

Hm. Paintings and sculptures. Apparently this girl knew a lot about art. 

There was more knowledge being taken, but Issei couldn’t tell what it was.

Wait a sec. What was that?

A sudden flare of energy lit up.

“Ise-kun?”

There was a flash and his surroundings blurred away.

When they cleared up again, he found he had no control over his vision anymore. He could still see, but he couldn’t move his head or even feel his body.

It was like…

Like he was in someone’s POV.

Could that be? Was he watching a memory?

The sound came in as well. Ragged breathing.

The woman looked over her shoulder.

Something was chasing her.

He could feel the aura as well now. Yes, this had to be a memory.

But Bloodbound had never shown him explicit memories before. He could take implicit knowledge, but he had never been able to see a real memory before.

Had his powers evolved?

The woman stopped and took off her bright red pumps.

Now he was absolutely sure. This had to be a memory of her final moments. Here, she realised she was being chased by something very dark. So she took off her heels and threw them away to run faster.

The woman ran into the old factory, as Issei had expected.

However, something else was waiting for her there. Or more accurately:  _ someone. _

A girl stepped out of the shadows. It was a young girl with very long purple hair. It was put up neatly with a silver pin on either side that had three long flower petals sticking out.

Kirsten. 

Issei knew this girl. Well, not personally, but when he had taken Diodora’s powers, he had also taken the names and backstories of every single peerage member. 

This was Kirsten, the third Pawn. She was a former Holy Maiden and her fate had been incredibly strong. She had been the most difficult to break amongst all peerage members. But once she had been broken, she had become the most subservient of them all.

The woman turned to the door, but found her way out blocked by another girl. A cute girl with blue eyes and black hair restrained in a single braid dancing around her left shoulder. Ashley, the first Pawn. She had been his first slave (not counting Evelyn). As such, she had become one of Diodora’s most trusted peerage members.

Hm. It couldn’t be a coincidence his two best Pawns were right here.

“W-What do you want with me?” the woman asked.

“We have a message for you,” Kirsten said. “Well, not for you, for the one watching this.”

Issei felt his heart rate go up drastically.

Were they talking about him?

Suddenly, he didn’t feel safe anymore. In theory, he knew he couldn’t be hurt, but the way they talked made him feel very uncomfortable.

What if they  _ could  _ hurt him? After all, he had never had a vision like this before.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the woman stammered.

“You don’t need to know. You only need to listen.”

“You’re-”

Kirsten pulled out a knife from her belt.

The woman shut up.

“Now then,” Ashley said calmly. “Our superior wants to talk to you.”

“If you contact him, he will release the two of us,” Kirsten added. “Your choice.”

Ashley spoke a bunch of number.

Was that… 

Yeah, a phone number.

When she was done, she turned to Kirsten. “That was it, right?”   
“Yep. Only one thing left to do.”

Ashley took out a knife as well.

“Hey, wait-”

A knife was plunged into her stomach.

The woman stumbled back.

Luckily, Issei couldn’t actually feel her real pain. There was only a faint memory of it.

Kirsten pulled back the knife and stabbed again.

His vision was getting blurry. The woman was dying, this is where the memory ended.

“Ise-kun? Ise?”

He opened his eyes. “Rias?”   
“Are you okay? You were just… gone all of a sudden. I was worried sick.”

“I’m okay.”

He sat upright. Apparently he had fallen down when the vision started.

“No CPR this time?” he asked.

She turned red. “You still had a heartbeat. And you were breathing.”

“Oh, I thought you’d jump at any opportunity to kiss a handsome boy like me.”

She rolled her eyes. “What happened? Did you see something?”

“No, everything went black and then I woke up again.”

“Hm. Are you sure you’re okay?” She obviously wasn’t convinced by his explanation.

“I’m fine.” He stood up. “I’m going home.”

“Wait, what do you want to do about this?”

“About what?”

“There’s a dead body with your name written in blood.”

“Well it’s not hard to piece together, is it?” he said. “It’s a warning from the guy Diodora was working for. They realised I killed him.”

“Hm.”

“So there’s nothing we can do, is there? You can do an autopsy on that girl, but I don’t think you’ll find much.”

Rias shrugged. “It’s worth a try.”

“Well I’m going back home.”

“Stay safe, okay?”   
“Always.”

He went home again.

Eve was in the hallway. She was casting spells.

“Oh, welcome home, Nii-san.” She bowed for him.

“Are Asia and Ruruko still busy?”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m almost done here.”

“Yeah, I can feel it.” The barrier felt much stronger than usual. “Good work, Eve.”

“Thank you.” She continued casting. “Is there anything else I can do for you when I’m done here?”

“Eve?”

“Yes?”

“Are you worried about the rest of the peerage?”

“I am,” she admitted. “I… I just want to know they are safe. I don’t need to see them, but I need the peace of mind. But Diodora send them somewhere and he didn’t tell me where.”

“I see.” He could have guessed that himself actually.

“But there’s nothing we can do. As far as the devils are concerned, we are all dead. We can’t send anyone looking for them and frankly, I wouldn’t even know where to start.” She stopped casting.

“Evelyn.” He took her hand.

“Nii-san?” She blushed.

“I’ll find them. I promise. I’ll save all of them.”

“Thanks,” she said, unsure.

“I’m serious.”

“Please don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I promise I’ll try my best.”

She smiled faintly. “Thanks, Nii-san.”

It was silent for a moment.

He released her hand again.

“Did you…” he hesitated. “Never mind.”

“You can ask me anything you like, Nii-san,” she assured him.

“Did you have a brother?”

“Car accident,” she spoke calmly. “I was six. The church took me in.”

“So your parents…”

“Yes.”

“Sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologise for, Nii-san.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“Are you bothered you had to kill Diodora?” she suddenly asked.

“I… it had to be done.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

“Where is this suddenly coming from?”

“Well. It sounds like you feel guilty about something. And you’re trying to make up for it by saying these things. You’re a smart guy, you wouldn’t say stupid things without a good reason. You can’t do anything for the Pawns and you know it. Their contact with Diodora broke off when he died. So logically speaking they should be contacting me. The fact that they haven’t done that says more than enough.”

“So you think I feel guilty about killing Diodora? And that’s why I’m saying I want to save the rest of the peerage?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Maybe,” he said. “Look, I had no choice. All of you were gonna fight to the death. And even if we captured him alive, he wouldn’t confess anything.”

“You’re right. I don’t think we would have surrendered as long as Diodora was still alive. He would have used us as a shield and most of us would have died most likely. Killing him was probably the best way to save us.”

“I did what I had to do. There’s no reason to feel guilty.”

“Even so-”

A magic circle lit up behind him.

“Onii-chan?”

“Hey, Asia. Welcome home.”

“Are we having an important meeting? Here?”

“Something like that.”

Another circle lit up.

“Busy here,” Ruruko noted.

“Let’s relocate to my room,” Issei said.

Ruruko blushed. “Ye, Senpai. You’re not wasting any time, are you?”

“It’s not about that,” he said. “Although if you insist.”

She didn’t reply.

“Then what is it about?” Asia asked.

His eyes darted to Eve for a moment.

Was it really smart to include her as well?

But then again, she was his girlfriend too now, so he should include her.

He was taking advantage of her, that much was obvious. So at the very least he should treat her like he treated his other girlfriends. Which meant he could not keep any secrets for her. And he would protect her from any possible harm and help her whenever she needed him.

Issei took a deep breath.

“There is something important I want to discuss.”

 


	11. Chapter 10: Kirsten

_ What the hell? _

Issei double checked the note. He wasn’t mistaken.

Hesitantly, he put the wooden box under his arm and walked up to the black steel gate.

Hm. A strong barrier. Just what the hell was Azazel doing here?

Issei pressed the buzzer.

“Hello?” A female voice said. “Who’s there?”

A small camera turned towards him.

“Hyoudou Issei.” He looked directly into the camera.

“Oh, come on in.”

The gates swung open by themselves.

Issei walked inside. He followed the path to the front door of the large villa.

A maid stood in the doorway. It wasn’t Yuuma though. This was a blonde girl with a blue bow in her hair tied into a double loop.

“Wait a sec,” Issei said. “You’re…”

“Indeed,” the girl confirmed. “Nice to see you again, Ise-k… uhum, Ise-sama.”

This was the Bishop from Diodora. The second one, who hadn’t spoken last time.

“So you’re all working for Azazel now?” he asked.

“He happened to be looking for some help. Come on in, I’ll take you to him.”

Issei entered. He took off his shoes and then followed the Bishop.

“So what do you do here?”

“House work,” she replied. “Along with… other things. I’m not allowed to talk about those.”

“He’s not… he’s not doing perverted things to you, right?”

“No, no, don’t worry. We simply assist him in his research.”

“Research?”

“Azazel studies Sacred Gears. I’m not allowed to say any more than that.”

“Oh, I see.”

“We do some work and in return, he provides us with protection, food and lodging. If anyone comes, we pretend we are fallen angels working for him. He provided an illusion spell for this. Look.”

She spread her wings.

“Hm, nice work.” Her bat wings looked like crow wings now. She could pass for a fallen angel like that.

“We’re here.” She stopped at a door. “Uhm, I want to thank you once more, Ise-sama. You’ve saved all of us. We’re very happy here. Please tell that to Evelyn as well.”

“I will.”

“If there is ever anything I can do for you. Anything at all.”

“Hm.”

His thoughts went on a tangent.

This girl was pretty cute. Issei couldn’t help but wonder what she was hiding beneath that maid uniform.

“Ise-sama?”

“Ah, nothing. If I come up with anything, I’ll tell you.”

Given her past with Diodora, it was probably not a good idea to ask her for anything perverted.

“Okay.”

She knocked on the door and opened it. They entered a spacious library.

“So then you-” Azazel looked up. “Oh, Ise-kun. What a surprise.”

“I’ll come back later,” a girl said.

This girl had black hair and a slightly darker skin. She also wore a maid uniform similar to her fellow Bishop.

Issei sat down on the seat she had vacated.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Azazel asked.

“This.” Issei put the box on the table.

Frowning, Azazel opened it. “Holy crap. Is that a real cross?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you get it?”

“Asia.”

“Hm. And what do you want to do with that?”   
“First I would like to know what Ruruko came to do here.”

Azazel leaned back on his couch. “Well if she didn’t tell you, that’s her business. I cannot disclose personal information.”

“Okay, no problem. I’ll just go back home then.” He closed the box.

Issei stood up and walked to the door.

“Okay, fine. You win.”

With a smile, he sat back down.

“Nimura-san wanted an Artificial Gear,” Azazel confessed.

“You mean… you can create Sacred Gears?”

“Yes,” he confirmed. “They are inferior to real ones, but it is possible.”

“And you succeeded?”

“More than once. Sona Sitri approached me. Several of her peerage members volunteered. Hanakai Momo was the first.”

“Applause Wall,” Issei said. So Momo wasn’t born with that Gear?

“Indeed. The ability to create and destroy barriers. A very interesting test subject, I can tell you that.”

“And what did Ruruko unlock?”   
“That’s up to her to tell. I already told you more than enough.”

“Fair enough,” Issei said.

“Now, what do you want to do with that cross?”

“Well…” he explained his plan.

“Hm.” Azazel pondered. “Yes, I think that could work.”

“So you’ll do it?”

“Sure. It’s an interesting experiment. I don’t get my hands on a real cross every day.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“Enter.” Azazel said.

Yuuma-chan entered.

“I brought tea,” she said.

“Good to see you again,” Issei said.

“I’m glad to see you back too, Ise-sama.”

“How are you?”

She poured tea for them. “Really well. I made promotion.”

He chuckled. “Promotion?”

“Yes. I’m head maid now. I have three people working under me. I need to oversee that this house is cleaned, that the barrier is maintained, that food is being prepared. It’s a fun job.”

“She’s doing very well,” Azazel said.

Yuuma-chan blushed.

“Anyway, enjoy your tea. If you need anything, just call me.” She made a curtsey and left them.

Issei sipped his tea. She was getting really good at making it.

“So, wanna play video games?” Azazel asked.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They took out the controllers.

Issei said nothing about the message he had gotten from William. Azazel had helped them a lot, but it didn’t seem smart to tell him  _ everything _ .

After about an hour, his phone rang.

Issei picked up.

“Hello?”

[Ise-senpai? Did you forget about me?]

“Ah, of course not, Xen-chan. There is something I had to do. I’ll be right there.”

[Okay.]

He hung up. “I have to go.”

He said goodbye to Azazel. Once he was outside the barrier, he teleported home to pick up his bag. Then, he went to the apartment block.

Xenovia was waiting for him.

“Sorry I’m late,” Issei said.

“No problem.”

“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” Eve asked.

“Ise-senpai is with me,” Xenovia replied.

“How are your powers?” he asked.

“I feel like they are restoring. I think I’ll be back to normal in a few more days.”

“Okay.”

Xenovia threw her bag over her shoulder. “Shall we?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Issei summoned a circle and transported them to the Sitri Game Field.

“Okay,” he said. “I figured we could focus on something else today.”

He took out two objects from his bag.

She frowned. “Paintball guns?”

“Laser tagging actually.” He took out the target vests as well.

“I see.”

“I figured we could focus more on hiding, sneaking up on enemies and using your surroundings today. We’re already pretty good at fighting one on one.”

“Sounds good,” Xenovia said. “We each start from a base then?”

“Yeah. I suppose so.”

“I’ll take the pet store on the north end,” Xen-chan said.

“Okay. Then I’ll take the electronics store on the south.”

He handed her a communication device, as was used in a real Rating Game.

Xenovia went to her base. 

Luckily, the actual animals had not been copied to the Game Field, only the lifeless objects.

She changed into her training outfit and put on the vest with the targets on. There were three of them: one on either shoulder and one on her chest. The lights went on.

Xenovia touched her ear. “‘Ready when you are.”

[Let’s begin then.]

She went out.

First, she had to locate him. However, this turned out to be very difficult.

Xenovia was convinced he’d try to ambush her in the large hall in the middle, but he was nowhere to be seen. She could sneak to the other end without trouble.

She found his base, but it was empty.

Very strange. He must be planning something.

Then, finally, she detected his aura.

The bookstore?

Xenovia went inside.

She silently moved through the rows.

There he was.

He was reading something very intently.

She could see what it was from here. Apparently, everything had been recreated perfectly. Even the adult section of the bookstore.

Issei wasn’t planning anything at all. He had simply gotten distracted by the ero books.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t shoot him from here. The targets were on his chest and shoulders and he stood with his back towards her.

But this was no big deal. She could simply sneaked around and shoot him from the other side.

Xen-chan went into the row next to his.

Slowly, she moved to the end. When she had almost reached it, she heard something.

Xenovia turned.

Oh fuck.

The shelves were tilting towards her.

She jumped and rolled out.

With a rumbling noise, the bookcase crashed against the other one. Countless books fell out.

Suddenly, Issei stood over her. He aimed his gun and fired three times.

All three targets went out. 

Xenovia sighed. She had walked right into his trap.

Issei held out his hand, but she didn’t take it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.   
“I’ll never be good at this.” She pulled off the vest.

“What do you mean? You’re a great fighter.” He sat down next to her. 

Xenovia pushed herself up on her elbows. “You mean I’m good at swinging a sword around? Fighting is more than blindly attacking.”

“That’s why we’re training,” Issei said. 

“It’s no use. I’ll never be good at tactics.”

“What about before?” he said. “When you put on that bikini to distract me?”

“I still lost, didn’t I?”

“You’ll never win against me,” Issei said. “Don’t compare yourself, Xen-chan. Besides, this is not even me.”

“How so?”

He hesitated. “You have any idea how much Bloodbound has taken from other people? At times, I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

“I understand.”

“No, you don’t,” he stood up. “No one understands.”

“I’m different as well, Ise-senpai,” Xen-chan said. She stood up.

“You’re doing it by choice. I am basically forced to.”

“By choice?” She got angry. “You think I abandoned my faith by choice? You think I left Irina behind because I wanted to? You-”

“Then why did you do it?”

She looked away. “I had to.”

He frowned. “You didn’t do it for me, did you?”

She blushed heavily. “O-Of course not.”

“Hm.”

“That’s just one of the many reasons,” Xenovia evaded.

“I see.”

A silence fell.

“It’s okay to be a power idiot, Xen-chan,” he said. “You don’t have to be good at  _ everything _ . We’re a team, aren’t we? We should work together.”

“Thanks, Ise-senpai.” She got up. “Come on, we better clean up, or Sona-senpai will be mad at us.”

“Yeah.”

Issei used his magic to lift the bookcase and put the books back.

“You’re getting good at that,” Xenovia commented. 

“I promoted to Queen.”

“What? How?” Had he sneaked around her? She was certain he hadn’t crossed the hall. She would have noticed.

“I went outside and flew over the building. Then I went inside through one of the back entrances and reached your base.”

“Oh. So even if I dodged that bookcase and ran…”

“You would have probably lost.”

She sighed.

“Hey, Xen-chan-”

“It’s okay. You’re right, I should rely on others. If anything, this is a good thing. In a real fight, we’ll be on the same side, so it’s good you are so strong.”

“Yeah.”

“So,” she picked up her vest again. “Best out of three?”

He smiled. “You’re on.”

* * *

 

Issei went into the living room.

“I’m home,” he announced.

“Welcome home, Nii-san,” Evelyn greeted him. She put away her dust cloth.

Issei sat down on the couch.

“How was your training?” she asked.

“Uhm, interesting.”

“Okay.” She sat down next to him. “Uhm… I know I said that…”

“I haven’t called yet,” he said. They had discussed this yesterday.

Eve-chan nodded. “It’s your decision.”

“It’s just… I don’t like doing exactly what my enemy wants.”

“I understand.”

He sighed. “You know what? I’ll just do it.”

“You sure?”

“Not really.”

He dialed the number. There was an answer almost immediately.

[I see you found the memory,] a male voice spoke.

“What do you want from me?” Issei asked.

[Actually that’s exactly what I wanted to ask you.]

“What?”

[What do you want? We all want something, don’t we?]

“I…” What the hell?

[Fine, I’ll start. I want to use your powers. Up until now, I’ve tried to bring you here by force. That failed. So I’m trying something else now. What about you?]

He looked at Evelyn.

Issei lowered the phone. “Uhm, could you… step out for a second?”

“Oh, of course.” She left the room.

Issei raised his phone again. “Are you trying to buy my support?”

[Yes. What do you want, Hyoudou Issei? Power? Women? Money? I can get you anything you want. I’m just asking you to do a few small things in return.]

“You’ve tried to kill me countless times,” he argued.

[ _ Capture _ , not kill. You’re worthless to me dead.]

“But you didn’t bother killing anyone who was in the way, did you?” he accused him. “Like that woman. Why did she have to die?”

[So I could call you.]

“You could have dropped a note with your phone number.”

[True. But I didn’t. Why?]

“Hm.” Issei pondered that for a second. “I guess you wanted to show me you understand how my power works. It wasn’t a coincidence I saw that specific memory.”

[Indeed. Yes, I know how your powers work. I can show you how to control them. What you’ve done until now is not even a fraction of its full potential. At full power, the world will be yours.]

“And what do you get out of that?” Issei asked.

[Revenge,] he said. [Not very original, I know. It’s pretty straightforward. There is someone I want to kill. Someone very powerful. I just need you to kill him for me, nothing more. It’ll be quite easy with your powers.]

He wasn’t actually considering this, right? This was the enemy.

Although…

What was his side really? The devils? If you broke it down, they had basically enslaved him. It just happened to be Rias who had done it, but it could have been someone like Diodora. It must have that guy years to build his peerage, and clearly no one had bothered stopping him even though he tortured them.

And…

William knew exactly how his powers worked. And he was very powerful. It wouldn’t be smart to pick the losing side.

He had to gather more information.

“I’ll consider it,” Issei said. “Now let them free. You promised.”

[I already have. They are at the park. I suggest you hurry up.]

Issei cursed.

He put his phone away and went to the hallway.

“Nii-san?” Eve-chan asked.

“I know where they are. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

They put their shoes on and started running.

Not long after, they reached the park.

Both girls sat on the edge of the fountain, dressed in robes. Their hoods were raised.

They sat so still he wondered whether they were still alive. William hadn’t ‘released them’ dead, right? But then again, that wouldn’t be smart. He had freed them to win Issei’s trust after all.

He crouched down with the first girl and removed her hood. Purple hair spilled out. 

“Kirsten? Are you okay?”

Her eyes opened.

“Kirsten,” the girl slowly repeated. “Who’s Kirsten?”


	12. Chapter 11: Concerns

“No doubt about it,” Asia said. “They have the exact same mental damage Raynare had. Their memories are gone.”

“Do you remember anything?” he asked Kirsten.

She shook her head. 

“You were Diodora’s-”

Her eyes widened. She reached out and grabbed his arm.

“Please,” she begged. “Don’t hurt me.”

“Shh,” he shushed her. “No one is going to hurt you.”

“O-Okay.”

“Why don’t you get some rest?” he suggested. “Both of you.”

“I-I’m hungry,” Ashley stammered.

“I’ll bring you food. We’ll be right back okay?”

“O-Okay.” She nodded slowly.

He went outside with Asia.

“Strange,” Issei said.

“What?” Asia asked.

“Nothing, I…” he shook his head. “There’s something that bugs me.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you feel like we’re missing something important?”

“Uhm, not really?”

“Never mind, it’s probably nothing. Listen, can you get them some food? I’m gonna talk with Eve-chan.”   
“Okay.”   
Issei went to the living room where he found Eve.

She stood up when he entered. “How are they?”

“Well, physically they are in reasonably good shape.”

“ _ Reasonably _ ?”

“They are a bit dehydrated, tired, hungry. Nothing that can’t be fixed with a meal and a good night of sleep.”

“Okay.” Eve looked relieved.

“There is however a… well… a little mental problem.”

“The amnesia?”

“Asia confirmed it. They have no memories left. They don’t even remember their own name.”

Eve frowned. “Can they do that?”

“We’ve had a case before,” he said. “That girl never recovered.”

“I see.”

“And it’s not just that. Along with memory loss, the connection with their magic is severed.”

“So…”

“So they are now unable to use their demonic powers. They can’t even summon their wings anymore.”

Eve looked worried. “What about their lifespan?”

“We don’t know for sure,” he admitted. He had actually never considered that before. What happened if all your magic was sealed away? Were they still devils? What about their Evil Pieces?

“Well maybe… maybe it’s not so bad?” Eve said. “Most of their memories weren’t so good after all.”

“The important bit is that they are alive and well. And maybe you’re right. This is a good opportunity for them to take a fresh start.” Which they would have to do anyway now that Diodora was dead.

“Where will they go?” Eve asked.

“We could send them to the others at Azazel’s place,” Issei said. “Or they could stay here. They don’t remember anything, so they don’t have bad memories about you.”

“I’d like them to stay here then. I… I sort of feel like I should protect them. I’m their Queen after all.”

“I understand. I’ll talk to them about it. But I think it’s gonna be okay.”

“Thanks, Nii-san.”

“Don’t you want to know what William said when I send you out?”

She shook her head. “I trust you. I don’t expect you to tell me everything. If it was something I needed to know, you’d have told me.”

“Hm.”

“I’m on your side am I not?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well.” She played with her fingers. “Say that you switched sides. That you allied yourself with that man. I could come with you, right?”

“Why… why would I do that?” Issei asked. She has hitting dangerously close to the truth here.

“Why not? If you believed he was going to win anyway. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t become a devil by choice. You don’t owe them anything. Let’s not pretend like they are the good guys, shall we? Diodora was a monster and no one ever lifted a finger. Lucifer-sama could have killed him easily, but he didn’t. And he must have known what was going on. What kind of leader doesn’t know what his subjects are doing? Just the fact that has peerage is entirely former church girls is already very suspicious.”

“Alright,” Issei said. “William did offer me that. And I sort of reached the same conclusion as you.”

“So what are you gonna do?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Despite everything, I do care about Rias and everyone else. I can’t just betray them like this. And I don’t know anything about this guy. Only that he is powerful. What’s gonna happen to Rias? Who are his real enemies? There is too much I don’t know.”

“You’ll have to find out,” she said.

“I know. But preferably I’d do it on my own rather than blindly believing what someone tells me.”

“You have a plan then?”

“Working on it.”

“Senpai?” a voice interrupted them.

“Oh, Ruruko.” He was concerned for a moment, but it didn’t look like she had heard anything he had said to Eve. Or at least she didn’t say anything about it.

“I uhm… I want to show you something.”

“I’ll go check up on Kirsten and Ashley,” Eve said. “See you around, Nii-san.”

“Okay.”

She left them alone.

“So, what did you want to show me?” Issei asked.

“Can we go to the training hall?”

“Sure.”

They took the elevator down.

He had a suspicion what she wanted to show him.

In the training hall, they both used magic to change their clothes into their usual training outfits. Issei activated the barrier.

“Okay,” Ruruko said. “Here we go.”

A green flash came from her legs and arms. Something started to crawl around her limbs.

It looked like some kind of metal snake. When it was done summoning, there was a bracelet on her upper arms and lower legs. It coiled four times around them.

“Is that your Sacred Gear?”

“It’s called Procellarum Phantom,” she said.

“Procellarum?” That was a strange word.

“Latin for storm.”

Hm. A phantom was basically an illusion. So this thing was called ‘Illusion Storm’?

“What does it do?” he asked.

“I’ll show you,” she said, smiling.

The next moment, her body blurred. A strong light blinded him.

“What the…”

He was punched in his stomach.

“Fuck.”

Issei tried dodging but he couldn’t see anything. The view in front of him was blurry.

After a few punches, his vision turned clear again.

Ruruko was breathing hard.

“You’re manipulating the light,” Issei said.

“Very sharp,” she replied. “My Gear creates photon storms which makes the light bend randomly.”

“One problem though.” He surged forward and threw some punches.

She stumbled back. “I know. It’s exhausting to keep up.”

“You’re gonna have to make those few seconds count.”

“Or train so I can keep it up longer.”

“You better train fast because you’re getting your ass kicked here.”

“Oh, I thought it was the other way around?”

She attacked again with renewed vigor.

However, Ruruko was still losing badly. Since Issei had touched her blood before, he knew every single technique and could copy them whenever he wanted. And physically, he was much stronger than her.

Ruruko was breathing hard. “You’re good.”

“Do you yield?”

“Never.”

She attacked again.

He evaded and pulled her into a headlock.

“Okay, I yield,” she said.

“You know. You’re pretty helpless like this,” he said.

“That’s right,” she replied. “You could just touch me anywhere you like.”

“I could even do this.” He pulled down the zipper of her jersey.

“Getting bold, are we?”

“Maybe.”

He roughly fondled one of her breast over her bra. She moaned softly. Her nipples quickly grew hard under his touch.

“How much do you like this bra?” he asked.

“Why do you want to know?”

“I want to know before I rip it off.” He moved to the other breast.

She blushed. “Ye, Senpai. Can’t you just take it off the normal way?”   
“There is no time for that.”

“Just open it and push it up then,” she suggested.

“You do it.”

“You know I never open my bras. That’s your job.”

“Your call. Too bad, because it is quite a nice one.”

He grabbed the fabric.

“Okay, okay. Just wait one sec.” She reached back and fumbled on the clasps.

“You better hurry up,” he warned her.

“I’m trying.”

She managed to snap it open. Issei roughly pulled it upwards. Her breasted were freed.

He wasted little time in spinning her around, swooping down and taking one of them in his mouth. His hand worked the other one.

Ruruko moaned loudly.

“Senpai? You’re… you’re so…”

“So what?” He lightly bit her nipple.

“Never mind,” she said. “Keep going please.”

She dug her fingers into his hair.

“Tell me,” he urged her.

“Don’t you think you’re more… I don’t know,  _ different _ ?”

He stopped touching her. “I guess so. Is that bad?”

“You’re just so confident and… I think you’re a bit crueler.”

He released her. “I know.”

“I didn’t say I minded that. It’s just a bit weird.”

“But I mind it,” he told her.

“It’s Bloodbound, isn’t it?” she asked. “It’s taking their personalities as well.”

“Yes. And Freed’s personality is in one of my Evil Pieces so his is the strongest. Or maybe this is just… I don’t know. It could just be me. Maybe I’m responding exactly how any other guy would respond under my circumstances. With the harem and Asia and Eve being so… so submissive. It’s hard not to take advantage of it.”

“Well, you-”

He heard a noise. Their barriers went down.

The doors of the training hall slid open.

They both took a fighting stance.

“Oh, Asia, it’s you.” She lowered her stance.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No.” Ruruko quickly zipped up her jersey.

“I just wanted to say both of them are sleeping.” 

“Okay.”

“How are things over here?”

“Ruruko is testing her new Sacred Gear,” Issei said. He tried to sound casual.

“Interesting Sacred Gear. Does it take the form of a bra?”

Ruruko blushed.

“Anyway,” Issei said. “Now that you are here, I have something for you.”

“You do?”

Issei used a magic circle to retrieve it from storage. 

He handed her the cloth-wrapped object.

Frowning, she unwrapped the cloth.

A silver bow was revealed.

“Wow,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”

“I thought you might want a weapon. You told me you wanted to fight as well.”

“Thanks,” she said. “But, there is no quiver?”

“It fires with your own aura.”

“Oh, I see.” She hesitated for a moment.  “It feels very familiar.”

“I can imagine that. It’s your cross.”

“My  _ what _ ?”

“Azazel put your cross inside the bow. The bow itself allows you to hold and channel its power. If you use demonic powers, they will get merged with holy powers. It’s a Holy-Demonic bow, based upon Kiba’s sword.”

He was suddenly hugged. “Thank you so much, Onii-chan.”

“No problem.” He patted her back. “You should also be able to fire healing arrows with some practise.”

She released him again.

Excited, she took a stance and pulled the drawstring back.

A green arrow appeared.

She fired it at one of the training dolls.

The arrow transformed into a green lightning bolt and hit the target. The doll caught fire.

Issei quickly used water magic to extinguish the flames.

“You might want to turn it down a little,” he advised her.

“Sorry.”

Both girls were very excited with their new toys. They kept training until late at night. Asia was getting really good with that bow and he could swear Ruruko could keep up her Gear longer now. They were both surprised it was already midnight when they checked the clock.

The doors opened again. A new person entered.

"Xen-chan?"

"Hey Issei.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I just felt like training a bit. Is that a problem?”

“No no. We were training as well.”

“I got some new toys,” Asia said. She held up her bow.

“Cool. You want to spar with me Issei?”

“Sure.”

“I think I'm gonna go to bed.” Ruruko said. “It's late. Come Asia.”

“Huh?”

She dragged Asia out.

Weird.

“It's been a while since we trained.” Xen-chan said.

“Yeah.”

She picked up a wooden training sword and tossed one to him. “Let's go.”

“Woah.” He blocked her strike. Xenovia followed up with a second strike.

Issei was pushed back very quickly.

“Are you okay?”

“Why?”

“You're even more aggressive than usual today.”

“I'm fine.”

Her tone told him she wasn't fine at all.

He evaded an overly aggressive strike and hit her on her butt.

“Pay attention Xen-chan. Attacking like that leaves you wide open for a counter.”

“I can handle myself.”

She attacked again. There were a few more strikes before he knocked her sword out of her hand.

“What's wrong? You're completely unfocused.”

She sighed. “Irina is coming back.”

“What?”

“That was my response too.”

“I thought she went to Europe?”

“She did. And now she's coming back.”

“Why?”

“She's still an exorcist.”

“Hm.”

“They gave her Excalibur.”

“They  _ what _ ?”

“The six pieces they had were melted together and she was chosen to wield it,” Xenovia explained.

“You didn't answer my question.”

“Azazel has called for a truce. Given the current threats he wants angels, devils and fallen angels to work together until it's resolved. Irina will be Michael’s personal bodyguard.”

“And when were they going to tell me all this?”

“It was decided today. Rias doesn't know yet. I only know because Irina called me right away.”

“That must have been awkward.”

“You bet it was. What is she gonna say if she sees me? Look at me Issei.”

He looked at her long blue hair streaked with green. “I'd say it's an improvement.”

“During one of our missions my hair got stuck and Irina almost died. Since then I've cut it short to prevent that. When she sees this she'll know I abandoned her completely.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” he asked. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want your opinion on something.”

“Look, this is between Irina and you. I-”

“Do you like my hair like this?”

“What.”

“Yes or no?” she insisted.

“What does that matter?”

“It matters to me. I've changed completely since I became a devil. But now... I don’t know anymore. Maybe I should just go back. Be an exorcist again.”

“You want to go back to your old life?”

“I don't know. Is this really better?”

“You should decide that on your own. Well, you decided long ago I guess. You're a devil now. You can't just leave. You'd be a stray.”

“I'm sure an arrangement could be made.”

“You're insane if you think Rias will give up the wielder of Durandal.”

“Depends on what she gets in return.”

“What could you possibly offer her?”

“I don't know,” she admitted.

“I don't know what to say Xen-chan. You don't really have a choice. If you wanted to go back to your old life I don't think you could.”

“Unless…”

“Hm?”

“Never mind. Forget it.”

“Tell me.”

“What if you came with me? You're strong. You could protect me from the devils.”

“I don't know.” Why did everyone suddenly want to leave?

“I don't think I can keep growing here. What about you? Are you really satisfied being a simple Pawn?”

“I'll think about it.”

Now that she said it, he wasn’t satisfied. By now, he was probably stronger than Rias. Why should she be a King while he was a simple Pawn? Even if she didn’t really abuse her powers, it wasn’t fair he was her servant. 

“Can I stay here tonight?” Xenovia asked. “I don’t want to be alone.”

“Sure, we have plenty of rooms.”

“I meant… with you.”

“Oh. Uhm… I guess it’s okay. But my bed is getting a little crowded.”

“No problem.”

They finished up their training. Both of them took a shower afterwards.

Issei put on a pair of boxers and went to his bedroom.

He found the girls already asleep in his bed. All of them wore revealing nightgowns and panties.

He shouldn’t wake them up.

Xen-chan entered his room. She had wrapped a towel around herself.

“You can probably borrow some clothes from-”

“No need.”

She dropped the towel.

Issei swallowed hard. “Uhm…”

“Is there a problem?”

“No. Not at all.”

They got in bed. Xenovia embraced him. Her breasts pressed against his chest.

“You know,” she said. “I-”

A distant scream reached them.

“What the hell?” Issei frowned.

Frightened, Xenovia pulled the covers to her chest. Now she did care about being naked.

 

“That was Ashley,” Eve said. She hurried out of bed.

“Hey, wait.” Issei ran after her.

He caught up just when they arrived at the guest room.

The nightlights were on and Ashley was sitting upright with the blankets pulled up to her chest. Kirsten sat up as well. She looked around, equally scared.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Sorry,” Ashley said. “I had a nightmare.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Issei sat down next to her. “Why don’t you tell me how it went?”   
She looked around the room, frightened.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he assured her. “We’ll just have a talk. You’ll feel better if you talk.”

“He’s right,” Eve said.

“Okay. I was… there was someone… torturing me.”

“Can you describe him?”

“How do you know it’s a him?” she asked.

Damn.

“Y-You said some man,” Issei quickly said.

“I said  _ someone _ .”

“Oh, sorry, I must have heard it wrong. Anyway, keep going.”

“H-He… he had these…”

She broke down crying.

“Shh, it’s okay.” He let her cry out on his chest. “You’re safe here.”

“I’m scared.”

“There is nothing to be scared of. No one will hurt you here.”

“I… we have to leave? Don’t we?”

“You can stay here as long as you like,” Issei assured her. “You can even live here if you want to.”

“Why? You don’t even know us.”

“Well actually…” he hesitated. He would have to come up with something.

“What?” she insisted.

“The two of you are sisters. And I’m your cousin.”

“Oh. I’m really sorry, but I don’t remember any of that.” She accepted it right away.

“It’s okay,” he assured her.

“What happened to us?” Kirsten asked.

“The two of you have amnesia because you… you got into a car accident.”

“Oh. So then… our parents?”

“They didn’t make it, I’m sorry.”

“Oh. And… and us?”

“According to the doctors the trauma caused amnesia. That’s why you don’t remember anything.”

“I see.”

“There is nothing to be scared of,” Issei said. “I’m right here. If there is anything you need, just say the word.”

She nodded. “I’ll try and get back to sleep.”

“If anything happens, my room is across the hall.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

He left them.

“Interesting story,” Ruru-chan said.

“What was I supposed to tell them? It’s better this way.”

“I agree,” Eve-chan said. “They are better of not knowing anything.”

“And yet they have nightmares,” Asia said. “That nightmare must have been-”

“Wait a minute.” That was it.

“Onii-chan?”

“You said their connection was severed, right?” he asked Asia.

“Come again?”

“Their magic. You said some kind of connection had been severed.”

“Yes, yes. The mental link. Magic responds to emotion and thoughts. The connection to make it respond is broken so they can’t use magic anymore.”   
“So what if… what if their memories are the exact same? Maybe they aren’t actually gone. They are just…”

“Disconnected?”

“Yes. If they were completely gone, they shouldn’t be responding to Diodora’s name. They shouldn’t be having nightmares about their past. There has to be  _ something _ there.”

“And how does that help us?” Ruruko asked. “If anything it would be better if they were fully gone.”

“I need to make a call.”

“ _ Now _ ?”

“Yes, now.” He went back to his room. The girls followed him, still confused.

Issei took his phone from the nightstand and dialed a number.

“I don’t get it,” Ruruko said.

“They have amnesia,” He said. “Just like…”

Ruruko still looked confused, but Asia finished for her.

“Raynare.”

“Which means?” he urged them.

“Raynare was working for William,” Asia said slowly.

“Exactly. So if her memories are still somewhere in there.”

“We may have a lead,” she finished.

[Hello? Who is calling me at this ungodly hour?]

“Hey, Azazel? I’ve got something.”

[Oh.]

“I think Yuuma’s memories are not fully gone. We might be able to dig something up. Can I come over tomorrow?”

[Don’t you think I already tried digging?]

“Tried di…? You bastard. That’s why you took her in. You were looking for leads.”

[Sadly I didn’t find anything. She responds to some names but that’s it.]

“Have you tried hypnosis?”

[Obviously.]

“Damn. Well I still want to give it a try. I’ll come over tomorrow.”

[Don’t you have something to do tomorrow?]

“I do?”

[You forgot?] Azazel’s voice was accusatory.

“Forgot w- oh. Right. Wait, how the hell do you know that?”

[Her father is a fallen angel. One of my generals actually. He’s always nervous the week before. He wants to send her a gift but they have… issues.]

“I see. Anyway, I’ll come over as soon as I can.”

[No problem. Goodnight.]

“Goodnight.”

“You forgot, didn’t you?” Asia said. She seemed disappointed too.

“I did not forget,” Issei insisted. “I just have things on my mind.”

“You totally forgot,” Ruruko added.

“I did not.”

“Sorry Nii-san, but I think you did forget,” Eve added.

Ruruko smiled. “Three against one.”

“We should go to bed. I have a lot of things to do tomorrow.”

 


	13. Chapter 12: Birthday Girl

“Isn’t this a bit overkill?” he asked.

“Oh come on, Senpai,” Ruruko said. “You need to look good.”

“Yes, but this is a bit… I’ve never even wore a suit before.”

“Akeno-senpai really likes suits,” Asia said.

“I think you look good, Nii-san,” Eve added. She blushed slightly.

“I’m done,” Ruruko said. She gave one final tug on his tie.

They stepped aside so he could look at himself in the mirror.

He almost didn’t recognise himself.

He wore a white button down, a black blazer and black pants. He also had a black tie on. None of them knew how to properly tie one, but Ruruko had looked it up online and managed to pull it off.

Even so, it looked weird. He had never-

“Off you go then,” Asia said. She handed him a bouquet of red flowers.

“Right.”

This was all so weird.

Issei summoned a magic circle.

He arrived in the hallway of the apartment block.

When he pressed the buzzer there was an answer right away.

[Ise-kun?]

“Who else would it be? You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?”

[Come on up.]

The door buzzed.

Issei got into the elevator and went up.

The door opened before he could even knock.

She wore a black dress today that pushed her breasts up quite high. It took all his willpower not to gawk at her.

Akeno came fresh out of the shower. Her hair was still slightly wet and he could smell her shampoo.

She bit her lip. “Hey Ise-kun, come on in.”

He entered.

“I hope you like flowers,” he said. “I didn’t know what else to get you.”

“They look beautiful,” Akeno said. She accepted the red roses.

“I have to admit, Asia helped me pick them out.”

“Hold on, let me find a vase.”

“Is Rias not here?” Issei asked. He took off his blazer. It was way too hot in here.

“She’s busy. She wants to go somewhere with all of us this summer.”

“Vacation?”

“Something like that.”

“Interesting. Anyway, happy birthday, Akeno.”

“Thanks. Have a seat, Ise-kun. I’ll make you some tea.”

He sat down on the couch. Akeno came a bit later carrying a tray with cookies and tea. She put it down on the coffee table.

She came to sit next to him, much closer than strictly necessary.

It was silent for a moment.

“Say, do you remember the conversation we had?” she asked.

“What conversation?” He sipped his tea.

“About my birthday gift.”

“Oh, right. I believe I asked you what you wanted and you said something like ‘it’s complicated’.”

“Yes.” She smiled. “And then you said,  _ whatever it is- _ ”

“If it’s in my power, I’ll get it for you,” he finished. “I remember. But you didn’t want to tell me what it was.”

“I was gonna tell you now, actually.”

She moved even closer.

“I’m listening.” He swallowed hard. She was  _ really _ close now.

“Perhaps it’s better if I show you.”

“Okay.”

She took his hand and placed it on thigh. Her dress was incredibly short. If he moved a bit upwards he would be touching her panties.

“Akeno?”

“Shh.” She put her finger on his lips.

Slowly, she pushed his hand higher. It moved beneath her short dress.

Issei swallowed hard. “You’re not wearing any panties,” he calmly noted.

“I want you as my birthday present, Ise-kun,” she said. Even more seduction crept into her tone.

“Uhm…” His throat was incredibly dry.

Of course, he had sort of guessed this already, but even so… 

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s just.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said. “I forgot you were a lolicon.”

“What? No I’m not.”

“Well you can’t deny that both your girlfriends are quite petite girls,” she pointed out.

“That’s just a coincidence,” he argued.

“Or you just love dominating them and you can’t handle a strong independent woman,” she said casually. “Are these too big for you, Ise-kun?” She pushed up her breast.

“Is that a challenge?”

Akeno bit her lip. “You think?”

His ears started to burn. “Look I just… Asia and Ruruko are…”

“I asked them and they said it was okay. Besides, didn’t we already agree to this? You said you’d do both me and Rias.”

“But Rias isn’t here.”

Akeno smiled. “That’s right.”

“Wait a minute. You asked me to wait until after your birthday until we… You want to go first?”

“Well I just love teasing virgin Ria-tan. And that wouldn’t work well if I was a virgin too.”

“That’s not fair to Rias.”

“We don’t owe her anything. I went on one date, that’s it. What did you do?”

“Well, if you put it like that…”

“Besides. You don’t have a choice.”

She moved on his lap facing him. 

“A-Akeno?”

“You agreed to give me anything I wanted for my birthday. This is what I want. You already promised me. And you don’t break your promises, do you?”

“No,” he reluctantly agreed.

“Well then.” She untied his tie. “What are you waiting for?”

He didn’t really know. A hot girl was offering herself to him and he was hesitating. This made no sense.

Akeno started to kiss his neck. Her breasts pushed against him.

His ability to think clearly was starting to slip.

He had to say something. Quickly/

“I… I just want you to do it for the right reasons,” Issei said. “Not just to make Rias jealous.”   
She replied by kissing him. Her tongue slipped inside.

It was a passionate kiss. Enough to convince him that she really wanted this. It wasn’t just about Rias, it was about him.

Issei returned it. He sucked on her tongue, which caused Akeno to moan in his mouth.

His hands moved to her butt.

Akeno started to grind herself on his crotch.

After a few minutes of making out, he grew tired of this light teasing.

Issei grabbed the edges of her black dress and pushed it up. It went up to her chest, and then got stuck.

“Issei,” she said. “It doesn’t come off that way.”

“I noticed.” Her chest was so big that the tight dress couldn’t move over them. “Downwards then?”

“No, my hips are too wide.”

“How did you put this on then?”

She blushed. “Uhm… magic.”

“You know what? Fuck this.”

He ripped her dress open down the middle. Her beautiful breasts were revealed.

She gasped. “Ise-kun.” 

“I’ll buy you a new one later.”

“So dominant.”

He ripped the remainder of her dress and let the fabric fall on the floor. Then, he pushed her sideways so she fell on her back on the couch.

Issei moved on top of her and kissed her again. His hands fondled her breasts.

She enthusiastically returned the kiss.

He broke it off to breathe and she immediately moved down to kiss his neck. He felt her move up and bite his ear.

“I want you,” she whispered. She opened the buttons of his shirt. There was a hunger in her voice.

Issei helped her take off his shirt.

Then, she opened his pants and pulled them down. His boxers followed.

“Wow. You’re… you’re big.”

He smiled. “I hear that often.”

She licked her lips. “I would say ‘it won’t fit’, but I’m not your first, am I?”

“No.”

“How many girls have you taken? A hundred?”

He frowned. “Two.”

“Ise,” she said, slightly annoyed. “Can’t you play along for a bit?”

“Oh, right.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. I lost count.”

He slapped his cock on her pussy lips.

Akeno bit her lip. “I’ve never been with a man before. What should I do?”

“Just listen to everything I say,” he told her. “I’m an expert.”

She nodded. “O-Okay. A-Are you gonna put it in now?”

“No.” He kept rubbing it over her lips.

She let out a frustrated moan. “Why not?”

“You’re not wet enough. You need to be dripping first.”

“What should I do?”

“Why don’t you show me how you masturbate?”

“O-Okay. You’re the expert.”

She reached down and rubbed her clit. With her other hand she fondled her chest.

“Is that how you do it?”

Akeno blushed deep red. “Y-Yes.”

For some reason it sounded like she was lying. But he couldn’t imagine how else she would do it.

“Can you please put it on now,” she begged. “My pussy is nice and wet for you.”   
“Is it gonna do a good job?”

“Yes. Oh, please.”

“Spread yourself. Both hands.”

Akeno reached down with both hands and spread herself open.

He positioned his cock and pushed.

Akeno yelped.

She was really tight. He couldn’t get it inside.

Issei grumbled and pushed harder.

“Ah, Ise, what are you-”

“Shh. You just lie there and take it. Let me handle this.”

“Okay.”

He had done it countless times with Ruruko and Asia, why couldn't he get it in now?

Frustrated, he kept pushing around on different angles until suddenly-

“Ah. You’re inside.” She sucked in her breath.

“That’s just the tip,” he warned her.

“Keep going.”

He gently pushed it in further. She was incredibly tight. He couldn’t get it all in one go, so he slowly fucked her, going a bit deeper on each thrust.

Akeno whimpered.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded. “It hurts.”

“Well you’re a total masochist,” he pointed out.

“Yes, but… this is different.”

“But you can take it, can’t you?”

“Yes. Of course. If it’s for you. If it makes you feel good.”

“It does,” he assured her.

By now he was halfway inside when he thrusted. 

A burning sensation reached him.

Issei stopped.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re bleeding,” he said.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just give me a minute.”

She nodded.

After a few seconds, the sensation was gone. He had her lightning powers now.

Issei continued. Eventually, he was all the way inside of her.

He stopped at that point.

“Is that all the way?” she asked. She didn’t dare looking down.

“Yeah.”

“I love you, Ise-kun.”

“I…” He didn’t know how to reply to that.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Don’t say anything. Keep going.”

His slowly moved his hips again. She seemed more used to it now.

“I’m gonna go harder,” he warned her.

“O-Okay.”

“Are you sure?”

She moved her hands above her head. “I’m all yours, Ise-kun.”

That was all he needed.

Her large breasts started to bounce up and down on his rhythm. It was beautiful.

Maybe a bit  _ too _ beautiful.

“Fuck.”

“Are you gonna…”

He didn’t have time to reply to that.

He wanted to pull out, but Akeno wouldn’t let him.

She wrapped her legs and arms around him.

Issei came deep inside of her.

Akeno kept holding him through his orgasm.

“Wow.”

“That was amazing, Ise-kun. Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

They kept lying like that for a while, until…

“We better take a shower,” Issei said.

“Yeah. Good point.”

They stood up. There was a bit of blood on the couch.

Akeno used magic to clean it up. They could clean themselves up too, but that felt really weird. It was much better to just take a shower.

They went to the bathroom and got into the shower together.

“By the way, Akeno,” he said.

“Hm?”

“Happy birthday.”


End file.
